The Past, The Present and The Future
by billyjiahaogao
Summary: Nanoha has overcome the past, but now a new evil is approaching Section 6. And in the progress of confronting their new enemy, Nanoha discovers new secrets about her past...dark and powerful secretsNanoha X Fate and possibly Hayate X Yuuno later on
1. Chapter 1

Fan Fiction – Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha

REcapture

By billyjiahaogao

_Disclaimer: I do not in anyway own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, but rest assured if I did the show would receive a much higher age rating than it has currently…_

_Dear: Dad, Mum, Onii-chan, Onee-chan,_

_Later tonight, I have something important to talk to you about,_

_Lindy-san and Fate-san will also be coming, so please listen to what we have to say before dinner._

_Nanoha_

"Nanoha-chan said she had something to say to us…" said Kyoya, speaking to entire Takamachi family. It was 10.30am, and they were having breakfast as usual on a Saturday morning. Momoko was frying eggs at the cooker (sunny side up) and Shiro was enjoying a cup of coffee whilst reading the newspaper at the table.

"It's not like her to do something like this" replied Miyuki, whilst pondering what it could be about. As the older sister, she had not been as close to Nanoha as her brother, but still close enough for Nanoha to confide in her about any problems.

In addition, Nanoha often asked for help with her mathematics, which she was atrociously bad at, although she had improved greatly in the last few months, for some mysterious reason. Although, now that she thought about it, Nanoha had been spending a lot of time away from home, supposedly sleeping over at Fate's. But for a week?

"I'm sure she has something important that she wants us to listen to" Shiro said, "so make sure your back on time today." Whilst he and Momoko ran the café, Miyuki and Kyoya had recently got jobs at the police station, where they taught self defence to the newly recruited officers. They often stayed overtime as many of the officers got on well with them.

"Got it"

"No problem"

**Meanwhile at Suzuka's house:**

"Nanoha said she was coming along with Fate and Hayate today. Something about being open about themselves"

"She's defiantly been avoiding our questions the past few months. She and Fate have been absent for a full 2 months. I wonder what they've been up to" Alisa said to Suzuka. They were standing on the balcony, waiting for Nanoha, Fate and Hayate to arrive.

"Well, if she wants to keep secrets from us, so be it" Suzuka replied "after all, she's defiantly has certain things she cannot disclose." As ever Suzuka replied in a dignified and educated voice. "Remember that time when we saw her ferret pick up the glass and drink from it? That was strange…"

Alisa nodded her head enthusiastically in agreement.

**On the battleship Asura:**

Nanoha, Fate and Hayate were preparing to teleport to Earth (otherwise known as Non Administrated Planet 97), when Yuuno suddenly shivered.

"What's wrong, ferret changeling? Too cold?" asked Chrono with a chuckle.

"I have this feeling somebody's talking about me…" Yuuno replied.

"Hey, you called me it again!" Yuuno shouted suddenly. "I keep telling you, Yuuno Scrya is a great name, handed down to me from my tribe. It represents the light.."

"Looks like he could be some time" Fate whispered to Nanoha "Let's get going, we're late already"

"We'll be going first then!" Hayate shouted, nodding to Amy, who activated the teleporter. Teleportation magic was permitted to specified locations on Earth, as long as they were carefully monitored.

A faint glow of blue surrounded the 3 girls before they disappeared, leaving Chrono dealing with Yuuno who was ranting at the top of his voice, fist clenched as if up for a fight.

"…and then my father suggested Yuuko, but my mother was set on Yuuno, and then…Huh?"

**On Earth (Non administrated Planet 97)**

3 girls gently landed onto the soft grass in Seaside Park on the outskirts of Uminari city, around 10 minutes of walking to Nanoha's house. However, they were heading to Suzuka's house, which was more than half an hour away by foot.

"We're not walking are we?" Nanoha asked hesitantly, "It's too far, Nyahaha..."

"Nope, we've got permission for a site to site teleportation." Fate replied. "Admir…Mother gave it to me because Hayate's still recovering and she shouldn't be out in the open too much"

"That's complete rubbish isn't it?" Hayate replied "You just got it because you're now her daughter. Total abuse of power I tell you."

Fate looked embarrassed, "Perhaps" she replied in a high voice.

Moments later a light yellow glow emitted from the centres of each girls linker core and they disappeared again.

"Huh, what's that light?" asked Alisa, more as a statement than a question. The bright yellow light was emitting from the central courtyard, and a faint humming sound could be heard.

"Something's coming out"

"What?"

"Is that…"

"No way…"

"Hayate?"

"Fate?"

"and Nanoha?"

Alisa looked at Suzuka, "They've got a hell of a lot of explaining to do. First their flying through the air and now this…"

"Sorry we're late!" Nanoha called out cheerfully.

**On the Asura**

"And so, I have decided to step down as captain of this vessel to look after my daughter, leaving command in the capable hands of Chrono." Lindy announced in the mess hall, where the entire crew was gathered.

Applause erupted from the officers, many of whom had been with Lindy since she took command of the Asura. Others had joined the crew later, but they all looked up to Lindy as a capable and confident captain. They also knew she liked to party.

"Thank you. Thank you all." Lindy spoke as a few teardrops fell silently towards the ground. She had been in command for 7 years now, working her way up from an office worker back on Mid-Childa Central Office.

"Now, some of you might know Fate-san, who was captured during the Jewel Seed incident. You should also know that she was not only cleared of her charges, but also was awarded a medal of bravery for her help in the Book of Darkness incident. I am pleased to announce, that today, she has passed her exam to be a fully fledged mage and will be joining the TSAB.

Applause again started up in the crew, many of which had taken a liking to Fate during her time she was on board the Asura. She often helped other members of the crew when they were on duty, ever wanting to learn more. She was particularly liked by the engineering staff, due to her vast knowledge of electronics.

Speaking over the applause, Lindy continued "She has also had a magical power ranked, and received the result of triple A"

Surprised looks appeared on the faces of many of the crew. Whilst they had known she was powerful enough to help out in a lost logia case at the age of 11, they had never really seen her in combat. However, the applause got even louder, despite the fact that Fate wasn't even present.

"And" Lindy continued "I have decided that, due to the unfortunate circumstances which occurred during her childhood, I will adopt her as my daughter"

With that, words of congratulations filled the air, although not many of the crew were surprised. They saw how close Lindy and Fate were whilst they were onboard the Asura, and many of them thought it was only a matter of time before Lindy adopted Fate, especially after her cruel childhood.

"And now, please give your welcome to the new captain" Amy shouted happily to the crowd. Chrono walked onstage slowly, and turned to face the crew, who had fallen silent.

"Umm…from this point onwards I am taking position of captain of the battleship Asura."

Light applause.

"I look forward to working with you from now on"

Applause continued

"Ahh, who am I kidding, I'm awful at this kinda thing. Lets get on with the party."

And with that, cheers filled the air once more, as the crew feasted on the sending away party for Lindy.

"Whaaa?" Alisa shouted, confused by what Nanoha had just said.

"What I mean is, that I can use magic"

"Don't be stupid, haha…., have you been drinking?" Alisa asked, obviously amused by the imagination of Nanoha using magic.

"I'm being serious…aww" She looked sad as Alisa laughed so hard she choked and coughed whilst Suzuka patted her back.

"Then, do you, do you, have a magic wand or something..." Alisa said with a grin on her face once she had recovered, obviously imagining yet again Nanoha, this time with a very cute pink staff and wings.

"Sigh…Fate, help me out"

"Perhaps if you showed them some of your magic? I've got clearance from Lindy to cast non destructive level 1 spells" Fate told her gently, drinking tea whilst looking at Hayate, amused by her appetite for biscuits.

"Haha, listen to you two, Hahaha, you two are really into it aren't you…" Alisa, unable to control herself anymore, burst into a laughing fit.

"Waa-what's going on?" yawned Reinforce Zwei popping her head up from Hayate's bag, "I was woken up by the noise" she said, rubbing her eyes.

"AHHHH!!" shouted Alisa, "the little thing moved!! What the hell?!?!"

"Rein, didn't I tell you not to show yourself until I told you to?" scolded Hayate

"Ahhaha, sorry…"

"Introduce yourself then" sighed Hayate. Reinforce Zwei popped out the bag and hovered in front of Suzuka and Alisa, who stared at Rein as if she was about to explode at any moment.

"Nice to meet you, I am Reinforce Zwei, intelligent program under the command of Mistress Hayate Yagami, but please, call me Rein"

"Ahh she's cute" Suzuka announced, holding out a finger to Rein "nice to meet you, I'm Suzuka Tsukimura" Rein grabbed her finger with both her hands and shook it.

"Umm…Alisa…Alisa Bannings, sorry bout earlier"

"No problem" Rein replied in a very cute voice.

"So, magic?" Alisa asked hesitantly, now looking very serious after seeing Rein.

"Raging Heart, would you?"

"_Yes, my master, stand by, ready, setup"_

"Bardiche"

"_Yes sir, stand by ready, setup"_

"Rein"

"_Hai__ desu, setup"_

Lights surrounded the 3 girl's bodies as their barrier jackets loaded up, and their devices morphed into their default modes. Seconds later, they emerged ready for battle, each holding their intelligent devices.

"Waa!! Nanoha, you look soo cute!" Alisa shouted, suddenly standing up and grabbing Nanoha, who was in her barrier jacket. She had always thought about changing it, but Fate insisted that it suited her perfectly.

"Waa, Fate as well! Hayate...Hayate can stand up?"

"Haha, how do I explain this…, only when I transform, though doctors say that I will in time be able to walk, though it may take a few years."

"Wow…"

Suzuka on the other hand, just silently stared. She was absorbing all the information. 3 of her best friends could cast magic. And transform. And fly. And who knows what else.

"So, those are your wands?" Suzuka finally asked, pointing at Bardiche.

"_I am not a __wand; I am an intelligent device, one of the most powerful in existence and proud to serve Fate T Harlaown, Private 1__st__ Class._

"It talks?"

"Ah, kind of…" Nanoha said, not knowing what to say. She had been hoping the explanation would spans out a little longer, bringing the fact that they were mages out into the open right at the very end.

"_Emergency" _Raging Heart announced

"_High energy source detected within the vicinity"_

"_Mistress Hayate, there is a dangerous element 300 metres South East of this point."_

"What?" Nanoha asked. "Now of all times…" However, secretly, she was joyful for a chance to get away from the explanations for a while.

"Feels like a jewel seed" announced Fate, eyes closed in deep concentration.

"I thought we collected all of them?"

"An unknown number were scattered, 24 were collected in total by us, a further 7 were found by mages, but it seems there are still more"

Alisa and Suzuka looked at Hayate, who just shrugged.

"This goes back before I discovered magic"

Suddenly a magic circle appeared before them, light green in colour. A short mage appeared moments later, dressed in a casual t-shirt and shorts.

"Yuuno?"

"Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, a jewel seed has been detected in the area!"

"Yuuno?" repeated Suzuka

"Yuuno?" repeated Alisa "you don't mean…Yuuno the ferret"

Yuuno turned around slowly, hoping that the voice did not belong to who he thought it belonged to, "Haha…Hi there, long time no see, Alisa-chan"

"Yuuno is a boy?" asked Alisa suddenly, her thoughts suddenly running wild. "You mean, you've been staying with Nanoha, in her bedroom, and, and, and..." She suddenly turned red and blushed. "I feel slightly faint."

"Nothing happened, I swear!" Yuuno exclaimed.

"You mean all that was nothing?" Nanoha shouted, pretending to be hurt. "All those nights we spent together, all those moments, they mean nothing to you?" She started whimpering.

"Eh?" Yuuno looked very confused.

"Yuuno-kun…" Yuuno turned round and saw Alisa with a bat in her hand. "What have you been doing with my Nanoha?"

"Your Nanoha?" Fate suddenly interrupted "What do mean your?"

"Um, guys, thought you might want to know…there's a giant dog outside" Hayate said quietly, trying to get a word in. She was looking nervously at the giant Labrador which was walking towards the house, still growing.

"Hold on a second Hayate, I've gotta sort this out first."

Suddenly the floor started shaking, cracks began to form on the walls and the window shattered as high amounts of energy began emitting from the jewel seed, which had now completed its unison with the Labrador.

"Fine fine, let's take care of that first"

Nanoha and Fate jumped out the window, Fate flying whilst Nanoha hurtled towards the ground.

"Ahhh, I forgot I can't fly yet!" she shouted as Raging Heart cast a spell.

"_Flier Fin"_

"Nyahaha, thanks Raging Heart"

"_No problem, my master"_

Fate was already advancing towards the giant canine, whilst Hayate was casting a binding and protection spell. Nanoha readied Raging Heat into sealing mode, as Fate executed her first attack. It didn't take much from the triple A mage before Nanoha could seal the jewel seed.

"Waa, that was awesome!" shouted Alisa "Again, again!" Suzuka looked at her as if she were a little child, eyes sparkling as if she had just seen a giant cookie. Then again, she couldn't say that Alisa was that much different from a little girl.

Suzuka had always been more mature than any of her counterparts, although Hayate came very close. Nanoha and Alisa had always got on very well, which Suzuka thought was purely because they were of the same mental age…around 8 she estimated.

Yuuno looked at the surroundings, which looked as if an earthquake had hit, apart from the black spots on the ground where Fate's attacks had ended up.

"Chrono, looks like were done here, can you send a repair team down to sort out the damages?"

"Already on their way, where there any civilians involved?"

"Alisa Bannings and Suzuka Tsukimura, the two Nanoha were talking about? But they seem to be enjoying it"

"No memory modification needed then"

"No, it should be fine" Yuuno looked around, noticed Alisa again and suddenly added to Chrono "by the way; can you get me back onboard the Asura? As soon as possible…"

"Amy is teleporting you out now" And sure enough, Yuuno faded away in a soft green glow.

"Hey, I wasn't finished with you!" Alisa shouted, running to grab Yuuno, but was too late

The rest of the afternoon was spent talking to Alisa and Suzuka about their adventures and missions, as well as what they intended to do in the future. TSAB mages visited and repaired the damages done to Suzuka's garden and house and returned to the Asura. Apart from some weird looks at Fate when she got salutes from the mages, the rest of the afternoon went by quite peacefully, as they enjoyed tea and spending time together, something which they hadn't done for a while.

They left the Tsukimura residence at around 5pm and headed to Nanoha's house, which was a good 40 minutes walk. However, they decided not to use any magic, as Nanoha's house was located in a very busy area, unlike Suzuka's, which was located on 6 acres of private land.

"Gosh, now we have to go and do it all again!" exclaimed Fate

"Haha, at least they took it quite well"

"I wonder how Nanoha's family will take it" Hayate asked

"Mother will take care of that" Fate said confidently "We can just relax and explain to them what we want to do in the future."

Their walk back was fairly uneventful, as the sun slowly descended towards the sea. They spent the time talking about the Book of Darkness incident, and how they first encountered. Hayate laughed cheerfully at Vita's reactions to Nanoha, whilst Fate pushed her along slowly. A cool evening breeze blew and Hayate put on her coat, knowing that if Signum caught her with it off she would be scolded.

Lately Signum, Vita and Shamal had been spending much more time with Hayate, since they no longer need to collect magical power for the Book of Darkness. Hayate now provided the magical power to sustain the Knights and Reinforce Zwei. Again, Mid-Childa doctors were amazed at the raw magical power that was being emitted by Hayate. Just last year they had a look at Nanoha, who was able of gathering immense magical power as well as sustaining its form.

The two girls were regarded as a medical mystery, whilst such incidences were not unheard of, no one had ever heard of a 11 year old having enough raw power to take on lost logia, let alone two from the same city. Especially since they had received almost no military training at all.

Ever since the Book of Darkness case closed, Hayate and her knights had been arrested, although they were quickly released once the truth of the incident came to light. Several things also helped Hayate clear her name, such as the fact she was from a non administrated planet, she had no magical or criminal background, she lost the mobility of her body due to the Lost Logia and, most impressive of all, she had managed to defeat the Book of Darkness permanently.

After that, Nanoha, Fate and Hayate took their mage examinations together, all passing with flying colours, although Nanoha was lacking in her tactics. They received the title Private First Class, although officially, only Fate held the title at the moment, since Nanoha and Hayate had not had their power level rated yet.

"And then remember when Fate said "Nanoha doesn't need tactics, she fires Starlight Breaker and knocks everything out." Oh, Nanoha's face was red"

"Mou, Fate, if you do that again I'll use Starlight Breaker on you for real"

"Haha, sorry Nanoha, it just had to be said" Fate replied whilst poking her tongue out.

"Hmph…"

"Hey, isn't that your brother and sister?" Hayate asked, pointing at two people walking along the river.

"It is!" exclaimed Nanoha, and started waving frantically "Onii-chan, Onee-chan!"

The two looked at Nanoha and smiled, starting to walk towards her.

"Hey Nanoha, what's up?" asked Miyuki

"You guys have finished your work already?"

"Yeah, let the trainees have a bit of a rest today" Kyoya replied, smiling at Nanoha. They were very close, since Nanoha was a little child Kyoya had looked after her, even teaching her martial arts, which partly explained Nanoha's natural instinct for battle.

"Shall we head back home then?" Miyuki asked, whilst petting Fate on her head. "Gosh, your hair is amazing, what conditioner to you use?"

Fate blushed, not used to receiving complements. "Umm, I don't really use it…" She turned a very bright shade of red.

"You're joking; your hair is this soft naturally?" Miyuki asked, still rubbing her head.

"Umm…yes…it's always been like that"

"Ahhh, I'm jealous", at this point Kyoya grabbed her hand.

"Stop fondling the little girl"

"Fondling?" asked Fate innocently, not understanding what it meant.

"Fondling? You were fondling Fate?" Nanoha asked, her eyes glaring.

"What? I was not. What are you talking about Kyoya."

"Come on; let's go…before she starts fondling Hayate"

"Eh, you want to fondle me as well?" Hayate looked at Miyuki, a blush starting to form under her eyes. "I don't mind but…."

"What? No! Wait!"

The group began to walk towards the Takamachi residence, chuckling happily.

"You were messing with me!" shouted Miyuki as they began to walk off. "That's mean!" The group continued to walk off, laughing to themselves and ignoring Miyuki. Even Fate managed a smile, influenced by Nanoha's whole heartedly laugh. "Wait for me! Mou…"

"We're back!" Kyoya announced as he opened the door, "Nanoha, Fate and Hayate are with us as well!"

"Welcome home!" Momoko said as she rushed out from the kitchen, heading for Hayate. She had taken a liking to Hayate and enjoyed talking to her a lot, normally taking Hayate to one side when she was around. Hayate liked being around Momoko as well, though she did nowhere as much talking, normally she sat and listened to Momoko's stories. Since her parents died in a car crash when she was 2, she never really had any memory of her parents. Growing up in an orphanage wasn't her most enjoyable experience either, especially since she was disabled and regularly bullied by the other children about not being able to walk. She looked up to Momoko as a motherly figure and felt warm and relaxed when she was around her.

"Lets go get a drink shall we?" asked Momoko, although she was already pushing Hayate towards the kitchen when she asked. "What would you prefer; we've got orange, grapefruit, pineapple…"

They disappeared around the corner, leaving Nanoha, Fate and Nanoha's two siblings.

"Kyoya and I will go set up the table" Miyuki announced "and we can talk around the coffee table", already pushing Kyoya towards the dining room, "Why don't you two go up to Nanoha's room?"

"Why should…."

"Come on you" Miyuki said as she grabbed Kyoya and dragged him.

"Hey, is that how you treat your Onii-chan?"

Fate watched them as they disappeared into the dining room, smiling. She was always envious of Nanoha's lively family, having only memories of her original spending time with her mother. She had always been confused as to why her mother changed so much, but always carried on in the vain hope she could see her mother happy again.

"Shall we go up then?" Nanoha asked, interrupting Fate's thoughts. "I've got the photos developed from our trip to the seaside, you look soo cute"

Fate blushed, "Mou…stop teasing me Nanoha". She would remain eternally grateful for Nanoha for releasing her from her nightmare that she was living. They walked up to Nanoha's room, which remained tidy as ever. She had always wondered how the ever lazy girl could keep her room so clean.

"Say Nanoha, your room's always so clean", looking around, it was spotless, beds made, desk tidy and the carpet completely white.

"Nyahaha…it wouldn't be clean if my mum didn't tidy up" Nanoha said, looking at the floor, "she comes in every morning and cleans my room."

"Mou, what happens if we actually do what we have planned, who's going to tidy your room"

"Nyahaha...If I become an officer my room gets tided for me, hehe…"

"Mou, you're hopeless."

They spent the next half an hour looking at the pictures from their trip to the seaside. Fate was embarrassed at her photo where she was in the black bikini Lindy had picked out for her. Nanoha took full advantage in teasing her, about how cute she looked. By the time Lindy arrived, Fate was bright red.

"Lindy's here!"

"Coming!"

Fate and Nanoha walked downstairs into the living room where Lindy and Momoko we're talking. Shiro served drinks for everyone before they settled down to listen to what Nanoha had to say.

"Mum, Dad…Onii-chan, Onee-chan, I want to talk to you about my future." Nanoha began, putting on a serious face. "But in order to understand that, I want you to know what I have been doing for the last year."

"This is where I should come in" Lindy announced "I am actually part of an organisation called the Time Space Administration Bureau. We regulate a large part of this universe to make sure no adverse effects occur. In other words, we are police, just for the universe."

Surprised looks appeared on the faces of the Takamachi's. Whilst they had been expecting something, they did not know what to think of Lindy claiming that she policed the whole universe. If it hadn't been for Nanoha's straight face, most of the Takamachi's would have thought she was a mad woman.

"Last year, Nanoha found a ferret, Yuuno-kun. I believe he stayed with you for some time?" Nods came from Momoko and Miyuki, both of whom were very attached to the creature. "In actual fact, Yuuno is a alien from a distant planet, who accidentally scattered a dangerous item called a Lost Logia across Earth"

Miyuki couldn't help herself any longer, "Wait, your telling me you're an alien?"

"Yes, Admiral Lindy Harlaown, former captain of the battleship Asura. A Mid-Childern, although we basically stem from the same ancestors"

"You've got a battleship?" Miyuki asked, obviously not believing a word "Do you expect me to-"

"Don't be rude Miyuki" Kyoya interrupted loudly "Let her finish". Miyuki fell silent, obviously not knowing what to do.

"So…" started Nanoha's father "where does Nanoha come into this?"

"Yes, of course" Lindy began "Please, believe me when I say this, I can show you everything later". She looked into Shiro's eyes, silently pleading.

"I understand" Shiro said, turning to look at his wife, who nodded silently.

"Yuuno gave Nanoha what looks like a necklace" Lindy continued, pointing to Raging Heart which Nanoha was holding up. "It's actually an intelligent device, capable of channelling a form of energy"

"Magical energy" Nanoha clarified, getting weird looks from Miyuki.

"First space and now magic?"

"Let her finish!" Shiro said sternly, although not able to hide the look of disbelief on his face either.

"Raging Heart, introduce yourself to my family please"

"_Yes, my master. I am Raging Heart, a __Mid-Childa intelligent device, serving with Takamachi Nanoha."_

Miyuki gasped as Shiro and Momoko leaned closer. Kyoya calmly sipped his tea, as if he knew all about it already.

"Fate, as you may expect, is also a magic user, or as we call them, mages." Lindy continued, trying to reveal the truth as slowly as possible. "And of course, Hayate is also one"

"Alisa and Suzuka?" Momoko asked, as they were Nanoha's best friends.

"They're not" Nanoha answered "although they know that we're mages, but not a lot more"

"Not everyone can become a mage" Lindy explained "the body must contain sufficient magic to cast spells; we call the container a Linker Core. It's possible to visually see the core…" Lindy turned to Nanoha, who closed her eyes in deep concentration, furrows appearing on her forehead as a bright light emerged from her chest. As the light emerged from her body it took the form of a sphere, although it was difficult to see the shape.

Nanoha relaxed again and the light withdrew slowly. When it had gone back into her body, she opened her eyes again, to see Miyuki staring at her in amazement.

"Say, do I have a linker core?" she asked in hope. Lindy looked at her. "Every living creature possesses a linker core, but as I said, not everyone can become a mage. Your linker core is unfortunately, too small to channel sufficient amounts of energy."

"I see…" Miyuki answered, looking disappointed.

"_My master, should I set up?" _

"Hmm, I suppose I have to show them eventually" Nanoha considered as she looked at Lindy. Lindy smiled and gave a nod. "Please, Raging Heart"

"_Understood, stand by, ready, set up!"_

For the second time that day Nanoha changed into her barrier jacket, as Raging Heart took her default form. Seconds later Miyuki choked whilst drinking her tea.

"NANOHA!!! Waaa, you look sooo cute" she yelled as she jumped up, "Wait right there, let me go get the camera!" She ran off upstairs to her room.

"Wow" Shiro began, not knowing what to say, "You look…different"

"He means cute darling" Momoko stepped in to help her husband out, "he's just not very good at expressing these things. This was, unexpected to say the least". She looked at Nanoha from head to toe. "So our daughter is able to cast magic. Well, I suppose we have all sorts of weird skills in this household don't we honey?"

Kyoya, who had remained silent so far, spoke out finally "You know I saw you secretly leaving the house in the night in that costume, with Yuuno on your shoulder. I thought there was something strange going on, but this is a first, having a magician in the family."

"Actually it isn't" Lindy replied, Nanoha turning quickly to look at her. "I took a look at the TSAB database last night, and found this." She took out a folder, containing several sheets of paper, the first having a photo in the top right hand corner.

"That's my grandpa" exclaimed Momoko, "He moved to Australia to set up an animal reserve"

"That is partly true" Lindy told her "he was registered as the owner of the animal reserve, but he wasn't actually there for the first five years. He worked as a civilian collaborator for TSAB, he helped the mages in the capture of a dangerous criminal who was hiding on Earth and showed magical energy of grade F."

"F is pretty low right?"

"It is the lowest class, yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean that class F mage could not defeat a class A mage"

"So what's Nanoha?"

"She hasn't been officially classed yet, but he has defeated Fate-"

"She got lucky!"

"-and Fate is a class AAA"

"Gosh" Momoko exclaimed "and how many more classes are there?"

"There is S, SS and SSS. I also should add at this point Nanoha is a medical mystery to doctors on Mid-Childa, she has an amazing amount of magical energy for an 11 year old, and normally magical energy increases as a person gets older"

"She's not in any danger is she?" Momoko asked with a concerned voice

"Nanoha is showing no signs of illness at all, but she is under constant surveillance, should an emergency occur rest assured doctors will be at her side as soon as possible."

"Thank God….and Mid-Childa?"

"Ah, sorry, the planet which the Time Space Administration Bureau Headquarters is based on."

"I'm back!" shouted Miyuki, holding her camera as she advanced towards Nanoha, who had a nervous look on her face. "Pose Nanoha, pose!"

"Nyahaha…" Nanoha pulled a victory sign with her fingers.

"You're going to have to do better than that, try putting left arm behind you, yes yes, like that-"

"So" Shiro continued, talking to Lindy as Miyuki began to take photographs of Nanoha "what has Nanoha been doing lately?"

"She's been on Mid-Childa, at the TSAB headquarters. She, Fate and Hayate took an examination to become official mages. The results came back this morning; they all passed and now have the ranks of Private First Class." Lindy paused to take a drink, waiting for the information to sink in.

"That's why I suggested talking to you today. I'm sorry for concealing it from you for this long. Intergalactic laws state that we cannot reveal ourselves to non administrated planets unless an emergency develops. Nanoha wishes to join TSAB"

"She does?" asked Shiro "Well, I guess that's not a surprise. She always said she didn't want a boring job like taking over the café, although I always thought it suited her."

"The problem is that until she reaches age, she is not allowed to join TSAB without your permission. Fate and Hayate are going to proceed to work for TSAB and Nanoha wishes to continue as well."

"Nanoha, come over here for a second"

"Yes?"

"Have you thought clearly about this? Is this what you really want?"

"I'm sure, I've been thinking about it for the past year." Nanoha replied confidently "I don't think now that I know about TSAB I can go and get a normal job. Or rather, what I mean to say is that I believe I would regret it if I made that decision for the rest of my life."

Shiro looked at Momoko, who nodded gently. "If that's what you want to do, I guess we shouldn't try to dissuade you" Momoko began, "We are fully in favour of you doing what you want to do with your life, as long as your happy about it. Though I must say, isn't 11 a bit too young to be deciding what to do with your life?"

"That normally would be the case to for TSAB" answered Lindy "but the girls here have displayed enormous skill and TSAB are happy for them to join if they wish."

"My goal is" Nanoha started, speaking up for herself "to get up to an officers rank. If I do that, then I can control where I am posted. That way, Fate and Hayate and I can join back together again. Therefore starting as soon as possible means rising through the ranks rapidly."

Shiro looked at Momoko again, before speaking to Nanoha "If you are certain, then we will back you all the way. Remember that you can always rely on us as well."

"Thanks dad. Thanks mum."

"But what are you going to do about school?" asked Miyuki suddenly "You can't leave school yet, you have to complete high school."

"They are going to" answered Lindy "since they are about to enter middle school we can arrange for them to attend Ichikawa middle school. The headmistress is a civilian collaborator and can authorise their absence for any important courses or emergencies."

The rest of the evening was spent explaining details of TSAB and how Nanoha was going to approach joining TSAB. Miyuki also caught on to the fact that Fate and Hayate had barrier jackets and insisted on photographs. They finally settled down for dinner at 9pm, with all the formalities worked out. There would be no major changes, though Nanoha might spend more time away from home, she would still be living there, so there were no major causes for concern.

The Takamachi family were completely happy about Nanoha pursuing her dream, even if it meant that she might not see them for extended periods of time. Luckily, Nanoha's parents were very lenient about what sort of future Nanoha wanted for herself and did not impose anything on her. And so life went on, with Lindy officially adopting Fate and living on Earth, whilst Nanoha, Fate and Hayate began middle school together. Suzuka and Alisa, upon hearing on their plans, insisted on joining the middle school as well, not wanting to leave their friends.

_9 Years Later_

_Mid-Childa_

_Section 6's Opening Ceremony_

"And I am pleased to introduce to you, Lieutenant Colonel Yagami Hayate"

Applause filled the room as Hayate took to the stage. She looked around at her team, consisting of only 60 people. The new cadets looked out of place from everyone else. Suburu Nakajima and Tia Lanster had transferred just after taking their examinations to become mages, both receiving good remarks from the examiners.

Carol Ru Lushe and Erio Modial were both too young to be serving in TSAB, but special conditions meant that they were allowed to join Section 6, those being that they both used unique magic. They had received quite a few stares from the rest of the team, but that was to be expected.

The rest of the staff were all around 30 years old, most of which were office workers and maintenance staff. Hayate's command crew were slightly younger, though there were a few who were over 40, but had gained invaluable experience and therefore were requested to transfer.

Thanks to Fates and Hayate's connections, as well as Nanoha and Fate's reputation, they were able to secure the most advanced equipment available for their use, including a new type of helicopter, which an intelligent device could be attached on. This way, the helicopter was capable of manoeuvring much more freely and to the pilot's wishes. They also got a very modern base with state of the art training grounds, as per Nanoha's wishes.

"Welcome to you all to Section 6. As you are all aware, Section 6 has been established in order to track down Lost Logia, and we are considered experts in the matter. We shall also be lending our help in emergencies relating to public safety, in order to reduce the stress currently put on the emergency services."

Hayate looked around and surveyed her new staff, each of them were paying full attention to her, no doubt because they knew that she had a very impressive history behind her. She was well known and respected throughout TSAB, with new recruits doing exercises about her past missions.

"Those of you who have served with me before know that I am very easy going, and do not like formal occasions like this very much. Therefore I have decided to hold a party tonight at 2000 hours in the main mess hall. From when the party commences, there shall be no ranks hindering our communication. You may speak with everyone freely regardless of their position and role. I shall also be going around getting to know all of you better."

"As you may know, we have 3 Ace of Aces with us in Section 6, the highest number ever gathered together. Let me introduce them, first up is Captain Takamachi Nanoha, Ace of the Skies"

Nanoha walked onto the stage, now 19 years old and approaching 20, she had developed a nice firm body due to her training at her limits everyday. Her breasts had matured a lot in the past 9 years and was now a healthy B cup. She took a deep bow and stood to the side.

"Next is Investigator Fate Harlaown, Ace of the Navy"

Fate walked onto the stage as well, blushing heavily. Even after 9 years she was still easily embarrassed unless with close friends, a result of spending most of her childhood being treated cruelly by her 'mother'. She took a deep bow before standing next to Nanoha.

"And lastly, as the Ace of Ground Forces, I have to introduce myself. I look forward to making Section 6 one of the most successful TSAB departments, so I ask that you cooperate with me." Finishing off, she bowed deeply to all her staff, who instantly saluted her.

"That's it then, you are free to do whatever you wish until 2000 hours, unless you have specific duties. Dismissed."

The staff slowly filed out of the conference hall into the corridors, most of them heading towards the staff rooms to get to know each other better. The 4 young cadets however, went off together towards the back of the building, where there was a view of the coast.

The newly established Section 6 headquarters was positioned right on the coastline, having its mini airport so that it could reach any emergency in the shortest amount of time. Whilst the building itself was not the biggest of headquarters, because of the small size of Section 6, less than a quarter of the building were occupied. Although their were plenty of rooms, Hayate still ordered that the staff conserve as much space as possible should their be a need for accommodation in the future.

Hayate walked up to Nanoha and Fate.

"So, what do you think?"

"We've got a good crew" Nanoha replied, watching the last of them walk out "they all look motivated to do well. I suppose it helps to have people with a lot of reputation behind them though, huh?"

"Like the white devil herself" Fate smirked, recalling how Nanoha got the nickname "I bet they all know your nickname"

"Nyahaha…I would have preferred something a bit cuter, like the white angel or something" Nanoha said with a smile.

"That doesn't suit you at all" Hayate told her.

"I'm a bit worried about our younger members" Fate said, now serious "Isn't Carol and Elio too young to be in the military?"

"That's what I thought as well, but since you scouted them out they've insisted on joining and being close to you. TSAB headquarters had a look at them and said they were very promising and allowed them to join."

"Still, Carol hasn't even begun to reveal her powers to us" Fate considered, "I would like to keep her off missions for the time being"

"Of course, we don't expect to be called into any missions for at least 3 months, because we're newly established. I expect Nanoha will train them up to be fully capable of taking care of themselves."

"Of course I will, haven't you heard the rumours about my training?" Nanoha said confidently "One week with me is equivalent to a whole month of standard TSAB training"

"Haha, that's only because you work them to the point where they can barely walk" Hayate said with a smile, "I remember your last group; they were so tired by the end of your training course, they took a whole month of vacation." Hayate looked at her watch "Let me show you to your room, I've still got to go and fetch my knights from the station."

They took the elevator up to the fifth floor, where the officer residential quarters were. Hayate had had 3 rooms renovated to that they became one big apartment, complete with an upper level for sleeping, an office area and all other necessities, so that the two were as comfortable as possible.

"Wow" Nanoha exclaimed as she walked into the room, spreading her arms out wide and twirling around a few times "It's massive!"

"This is for us?" Fate asked, comparing it with her last accommodation, which was around an eighth of the size in which she had her office as well.

"Yep, I designed and outfitted it" Hayate proudly stated "The room colour, the tables and beds, right town to the shower heads."

"The shower heads?" Fate asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, the newest model of luxury showers, big enough for you both to be in it comfortably. It even allows you to sit down, with 24 nozzles positioned within the shower unit."

"Sounds like fun. Together you say?" asked Nanoha, "Shall we Fate?"

"Nanoha!" Fate said, blushing whilst glancing at Hayate, "Don't say things like that in public"

"Haha" Hayate laughed at Fate's embarrassment "I'll leave you two to it then". As she walked out, she gave Nanoha a quick wink. Fate saw her and blushed even more heavily. As the door closed, Nanoha walked over to it and locked it, setting the room into 'Do not disturb unless there is an emergency' mode.

"Fateee…" Nanoha slurred, as she leaned on her, "Let's take a shower, I want to check out the nozzles"

"Mou, it's only 1PM though" Fate complained, although she was already walking towards the bathroom with Nanoha. They opened the door and discovered the bathroom which had not only a shower but what looked like a miniature swimming pool.

"Wow…" Nanoha exclaimed, looking around in awe "remind me to properly thank Hayate later". She pushed Fate towards the bath which was already filled and the temperature set at a nice 30 degrees. Slowly she leaned close to Fate.

"N-nanoha?" Fate questioned as she leaned back "Now? Shouldn't we get settled in fir-". Nanoha had leaned in and engaged Fate in a deep kiss. Fate, shocked for a short while, returned the kiss and allowed herself to be pushed into the bath, still fully clothed.

The shirt Fate had on quickly absorbed water and soon was see through, as it clung to her skin. Nanoha slowly began to unbutton her shirt, still kissing passionately, as Fate began to do the same.

"It's been too long" Nanoha whispered into Fate's ear "but finally we're together, and now nothing will separate us." Gently biting Fate's ear, she began to caress Fate's breasts, which were slightly bigger than Nanoha's. A few seconds later she was rewarded with a quiet whimper from Fate.

"Be gentle Nanoha" Fate whispered back, as she slowly took off Nanoha's shirt, which she let float in the water. Proceeding with Nanoha's bra, she unhooked it at the back, before sliding it off. Nanoha engaged in another long kiss, starting to take off Fate's short skirt as she did so.

"Don't worry" Nanoha said gently, undoing Fate's bra and putting her head against her breasts, feeling them rise and fall at a rapid rate. "I'll be gentle" she told Fate. They undressed each other fully, finishing off by letting down their hair. Nanoha's reached down to her waist, whilst Fate's neared her knees, not that this was visible as the two were entwined in the water.

As Fate sat up she felt Nanoha's fingers moving towards the lower parts of her body, her eyes looked up and met Nanoha's before she let out a small gasp in surprise. She moved to do the same but Nanoha grabbed her hand, before pulling hers away.

"Let's continue this on the bed" she suggested to Fate "I don't fancy the taste of soap in my mouth"

They continued to caress and cuddle as Nanoha dispensed some shampoo into her hand. She turned Fate around and began washing her hair, detangling the long silky threads delicately.

"Your hair remains as beautiful as ever Fate" Nanoha told her partner as she reached for the shower head "I've always been jealous". As she finished, Fate turned around reached for the shampoo.

"Your turn" she said simply "I'll wash your back as well". Nanoha turned around and felt Fate's hands on her head. She began lathering up Nanoha's hair. "What are you going to wear tonight?" she asked "formal or casual?"

"Hmm, casual I think" Nanoha replied "If we're formal the rest of the team will be hesitant to talk to us"

"I suppose so. Close your eyes" Fate rinsed Nanoha's hair slowly, working out the tangles in her hair. "I wonder how our forwards will perform; I still haven't had a chance to talk to them properly"

"I'm sure they'll do fine, Suburu and Tia look strong to me, and Carol and Elio seem more than willing to-" She gasped as she felt two soft lumps against her back. "You're not are you?"

"It's more efficient" Fate replied with a blush "We both get clean at the same time…not to mention it is kinda fun." Fate proceeded to rub up and down Nanoha's back, hands outstretched over her shoulders. Lather quickly formed between the two, when Nanoha turned around suddenly.

"You're missing my front" she said simply, and started rubbing against Fate. Fate smiled and started moving along with Nanoha. Soon, they were both very clean and rinsed off in the bath. As they emerged from the bathroom, Nanoha said "Guess we'll have to leave the shower until tonight" before grabbing Fate and pulling her upstairs.

Hayate had equipped them with a bed large enough to fit at least 3 adults on without them touching each other. Nanoha paid little attention though, as she pushed Fate onto the bed and moved her hands towards the lower parts of Fate's body. As she made contact, Fate let out a small moan, before rolling over to do the same to Nanoha.

"Fatteee"

"Nanoohaa"

The two kissed deeply again, before rolling over into the centre of the bed, bodies caressing each other on top of the soft covers of then bed, hands moving rapidly and tongues in action…

"_Master, it is 7PM"_ Raging heart broke the silence of the room, Fate and Nanoha still embracing each other in a deep slumber. _"You have one hour before your next appointment, please rise and prepare"_

Fate woke up first, slowly sitting up and looking down at Nanoha, who was still sleeping comfortably.

"I'll take care of this Raging Heart, Thanks"

"_Understood__"_

Fate gently shook Nanoha, getting a few groans from the girl before falling silent once again. Fate leaned close to her ear and blew gently. Nanoha's eyes flew open.

"Fate?" she asked as she sat up "is it time already?"

"Yeah, time to get ready"

"Oh, that was wonderful Fate" Nanoha looked at her companion "Thank you"

"Thank you too Nanoha"

"The thing you did with your tongue-"

"Nanoha!" Fate whispered loudly "don't embarrass me". The girl was already blushing again.

"Nyahaha…sorry Fate"

The two began to freshen up and pick out their outfits, which had been delivered a few days before they arrived. Nanoha chose a pink dress which went down to her knee's and an white cardigan to go on top, whilst Fate went with a black shirt and skirt.

"Mou….don't you wear anything but black?"

"Hey, the same goes with you, it's either pink or white"

"That is soo not true, I have others as well!"

"_Sir, a call from Lieutenant Colonel Yagami"_

"Put her through" A screen appeared in front of the two, showing Hayate smiling happily.

"Hey you two. How's it all coming"

"We're all ready" Nanoha replied, putting her arms round Fate, who looked to the side and blushed.

"So, did you two enjoy yourselves?" Hayate asked with a wink.

"Oh yeah!" Nanoha replied enthusiastically, whilst Fate just blushed even more "Thank you so much for getting us this room, the bath is amazing!"

"Glad you like it" Hayate beamed obviously proud of her design. Although she hadn't told them, she spent a good few days choosing everything from the fabrics to the design. A few restless nights were spent as her mind continued to work, envisioning colour matches to furniture design and placement. Suddenly Fate had a worried look on her face. "What's wrong Fate?"

"We have a cleaner to clean our room don't we?" Fate asked, looking hesitant.

"That's right…" Hayate replied confused as to what Fate was worried about. If anything, Fate enjoyed cleaning up. She would rather clean up herself if she had the time, which she now had as an officer rank. Most of her time would be spent in headquarters, doing paperwork and helping train the new recruits.

"It's just that…" Fate blushed again "We've left our clothes in the bath…"

"Oh don't worry" Hayate told her "They'll launder the clothes for you", thinking that Fate had thought they needed to be dropped off somewhere to be cleaned, as it was for lower ranks. The lowest ranks sometimes had to wash their own clothes if the staff were pressed, but in the case of Section 6, they had more than enough maintenance staff.

"No…I mean…in the bath" Fate finished with a slight squeal.

Hayate took a few seconds to think over what Fate had just said. It finally dawned upon her what Fate meant. "You guys didn't?"

"Nyahaha…" Nanoha laughed, slightly embarrassed.

"I should have expected that from you two" Hayate sighed, looking at them "You two were that into it that you couldn't be bothered to remove your clothes?"

"Say Hayate" Nanoha started "Is this channel secure?" She suddenly had a strange feeling that Vita or Shamal were listening into their conversation.

"Umm…no" Hayate replied. There was a knock on her office door. "I'll see you guys down at the mess in half an hour" she told them, before the screen went blank.

"I have this strange feeling…" Nanoha told Fate

"Of what?"

"That Shamal has been watching our conversation. She used to do that a lot back when we were training advance in our ranks remember? Before we separated."

"Uh oh….Signum's going to be teasing me all night now…"

_2000 hours_

_Section 6 Mess Hall_

"So let's get this party started!" shouted Hayate to everyone. They cheered as music began playing in the background. Banners had been put up commemorating Section 6's official launch. The kitchen staff had set up a barbeque for the entire staff, though it was mainly everyone helping themselves, cooking whatever they wanted as well as chucking random things onto cook. Mid-childa coal was much more powerful than coal on Earth, and so the time taken to cook was reduced dramatically. It also gave off a much stronger flavour.

"So how are you guys doing?" Fate asked Elio and Carol

"We're fine" Elio replied, looking at Carol, who promptly nodded in agreement. "Everyone gave us looks at first, but now that they've gotten to know us, everyone's really friendly"

"That's good to hear" Fate said as she turned towards Carol "anything bothering you at all?"

"Well…" Carol began "there is one thing…"

"What is it?" Fate asked, knowing that Carol would not ask for something unless it really meant something to her.

"I've asked Elio already and he doesn't mind" Carol told Fate, blushing slightly. The blush reminded Fate of when she first met Lindy, who was much the same way Fate was now. "Is it possible…that is" Carol heisitated for a moment "that we could share a room?" At this point Carol turned bright red, and looked down at the floor.

"Of course you can" Fate told her kindly, patting her on the head. She had always suspected that the two had feelings for each other, but they were still to young to know what the feelings were. "Shall I get someone to move your things across?"

"Please" Carol replied with a deep bow "Thank you very much, Aunt Fate"

Across the room, Nanoha was getting to know here two cadets Suburu and Tia better.

"Everything going OK?" she asked when she spotted Subaru and Tia together.

Subaru turned round immediately and saluted. "Yes ma'am, Thank you ma'am". Here actions got a few looks from around the room but everyone quickly went back to their drinks.

"Relax" Nanoha told Subaru calmly. Subaru was obviously very nervous to be with someone she admired so much. Nanoha had saved her from a fire four years ago, when she was not officially in TSAB but attended an academy which its curriculum was shaped for people who wished to develop their magical power. However, once she was saved by Nanoha she had always looked up to her and her heart was set on joining TSAB.

"Um, yes ma'am, sorry". Suburu looked embarrassed and still extremely nervous. Tia looked at her for a few moments before taking a bow.

"We'll be under your care from now on ma'am" she announced "please look after us". Subaru, stunned for a moment, quickly fell into a bow as well.

"Call me Nanoha" she told them quietly, leading them over towards a table and handed them both a plate "I was never very fond of ranks. Fill your plates up and let's sit down." She saw Fate and waved, who waved back and began leading her two cadets over. Subaru turned and bowed towards Fate, whilst Tia quickly followed suit. Fate waved them up.

"Oh stop that, there's no need to be formal" she said kindly, handing Carol and Elio each a plate. "Let's sit down and eat, I'm starving." As Fate and Nanoha sat down, they each began to fill up their plates with salad, Nanoha's plate significantly higher with food than Fate's. Tia looked at her plate with awe. As Nanoha looked up, she spotted the look her face and said "What? I'm hungry as well!"

"Yes ma'am, didn't mean to be rude ma'am"

"Don't be so stiff" Nanoha told her, "come and sit down". She pulled out a chair for her. Tia sat down slowly as Subaru did the same besides her. Elio and Carol followed suit, and Fate began piling food on Elio's plate. As the pile of food got gradually higher, Elio laughed nervously.

"Um…Aunt Fate, that's enough…"

"Don't be silly Elio, you have to eat more when your growing"

"Aunt Fate?" Subaru asked.

"Well" Fate began "we're in the adoption process aren't we?" she said, smiling at Nanoha. Subaru looked at Fate for a few moments, then to Nanoha and back to Fate again.

"You're joking?"

"Nyahaha…nope, we're a happy couple. We're due to be married next year."

"Mou, Nanoha, don't go announcing things like that before we have everything sorted out" blushing, she moved onto filling Carol's plate and handed it back to her.

"Thank you Aunt Fate". Subaru stared again, opened mouthed.

"Carol as well?" she asked.

"Yep, we're going to get married once the two processes have been accepted." Nanoha answered cheerfully. Subaru looked at Nanoha for a while, before speaking in a hopeful tone.

"Say…any chance of me getting adopted as well?"

"Don't be silly Subaru" Tia said instantly "You've got your father and your sister for you."

"Still…" Subaru stared at the plate, blushing ever so slightly "it would be nice"

"Haha, you can call me aunt as well if you like!" Nanoha gave Subaru a wink. "Or mother…"

"Mou, Nanoha, you shouldn't joke about things like that…"

Meanwhile, Tia noticed that they were getting a lot of stares. She presumed it was because of the two Ace's fearful reputation. Nanoha and Fate were both in the text books described as extremely powerful mages who ended a case which could not be solved even by the most experienced TSAB mages. It didn't go into much detail, and all records of the incidents were classified. However, when asking around, they were told of stories involving the White Devil and Hell's Teeth, and how they were capable of bringing down entire armies.

"Mou! Everyone is looking at us again" Nanoha complained "Every time I transfer I always get stares. It's all your fault Fate!"

"How is it my fault!" Fate defended in an instant "the White Devil is responsible for this!"

"And who's fault is it that I got that nickname huh?" she accused "Wasn't it because a certain somebody told me a lie!"

"Umm…" Subaru looked at the two nervously, even with a slight hint of fear in her eyes.

"Tell me Subaru, what have you heard about the White Devil?"

"Huh?" Subaru was completely thrown off by this question posed by Nanoha

"Don't pretend you haven't heard of her!"

"Umm…That she is an extremely powerful mage" Subaru began "with a magical rating above even SSS. In one assignment she took out an entire group of highly dangerous magical criminals, around 28 I think, all with magical ratings above S. Some even say that once she starts fighting she can't control herself, and becomes a creature of death. And the most distinguishable part is her barrier jacket, which is completely white."

"Exaggerations, every one of them!" Nanoha told the group.

"Let me explain this". Fate settled down to tell their story. "It was back when we were 14, we had been given our first assignment above danger rating 5. We were all excited as a successful completion meant that we would be raised a rank. Nanoha's comrade, Vita, got trigger happy and rushed into the enemy's stronghold. She's the one sitting over there by Hayate, with the two ponytails.

Anyway, I rushed in after her, but we had been set up. Or rather, it was a trap for us. We had expected only two mages at class A and AA, but instead their we're 20 of them, all classed at S and higher. Vita got hit badly as she rushed in and fell into my arms, bleeding heavily.

I was obviously very concerned-"

"You were screaming like a little girl" Nanoha teased.

"Fine, but the thing is, I called back and asked for assistance, saying Vita wasn't breathing, which at the time she wasn't"

"Except she was, you were just too panicky to tell"

"We'll, that remains disputed, but I couldn't feel her breathing. Nanoha here heard the news and stormed into the base, not even stopping when I called to her. She came back around 10 minutes later, with the news that every single person in the base had been taken out. Amazingly, she avoided killing a single one, although 8 of them were in a 'critical condition'.

The story goes that Nanoha lost control of herself, she was hell bent on revenge that she used her magical power to her fullest extent. Analyst's estimate her magical rating at that time to have peaked pass SSS, from the saturation of magical energy detected in the walls of the building. Rumours spread almost immediately of the young girl clad in white, who had powers surpassing that of the most elite in the military. Unfortunately, she pushed her body way past her limits."

"It was a few broken bones" Nanoha insisted. A few broken bones sounded very serious to Subaru though, who could only imagine at the kind of power given out by Nanoha at the time. She would give almost anything to be there to witness the attack.

"The few broken bones landed Nanoha 2 months in intensive care and a further 4 in rehabilitation. She couldn't walk afterwards; she had to levitate back, though she couldn't even clear the ground."

Subaru gasped. No-one sitting at the table knew the real story behind her nickname. Whilst not as scary as some of the rumours, it was still beyond anything Subaru had expected.

"Actually, I suppose I never really want to go through that again. Not being able to walk is the easy part. Rehabilitation is the hard part, trying to walk again; it was painful just to stand. Painful painful…as in, very painful. Not to mention most of the people in rehab were over 60."

"To push your magical power beyond SSS" Tia considered out loud "how is that even possible? For a 14 year old?"

"Nyahaha…"

"Nanoha has been a medical mystery for many years. She first got herself ranked when she was 11, just after taking exams to become Privates. Her result shocked most of TSAB."

"What was it?" Subaru asked eagerly.

"Nothing special" Nanoha told her, poking at her salad.

"S" Fate answered

"WHA?" Tia asked in amazement, on the edge of her seat "but that's…that's insane. Surely the body isn't capable at holding such power at 11?"

"That's what made her a medical mystery" Fate told them. "Her body should have been torn apart long ago from the pressure. There have been many incidents where a child has been suffering because her linker core was getting to large, and had to have it purposely shrunk."

"Lightweights" Nanoha snorted.

"Doctors can't find anything different with her physically, or mentally, though I can, but in case anything occurs, I'll always be at Nanoha's side."

"Ohh…how cute" Nanoha said "Thank you Fate". Subaru was unsure if she was being sarcastic or not, but she really didn't want to ask. Just then Hayate started tapping on her glass.

"I propose a toast!" she announced in a loud voice so everyone could hear over the sound of sizzling "to the success of Section 6, and more importantly, to all of us!"

"To Section 6!" cheered the crew, downing whatever drink they had, be it champagne, wine, beer or orange juice. Vita suddenly stood up.

"I don't know who any of you are yet" she announced in a clear voice, pointing in the general direction of the barbeque "but if anyone of you makes any silly mistakes that endanger Hayate, I'll take care of you!" As emphasis, she put a foot on the table.

"That's rude Vita!" Hayate immediately scolded "Put you foot down right now!"

"I was making a point!" Vita argued back.

"You can make a point whilst being civilised"

"But it doesn't work like that" insisted Vita

The rest of the crew looked on at Vita and Hayate, in awe that someone would have the guts to argue against the commander of Section 6 on the first night. No one had introduced Vita of course and most of the crew thought she was just another administration worker.

"Anymore and I'll show every single person here that picture of you in the toyshop!" Hayate warned. Vita turned a very bright red, whilst everyone stared in amazment. Having a body of a very young teenager didn't help the girl, who was at least a few hundred years old.

"That's unfair!" she complained, whilst Hayate smirked happily. She looked at the rest of the crew, most of which had stopped eating and were looking on at the two.

"Ahh, let me introduce second lieutenant Vita" she said "my close friend since childhood"

"They're closer than that" Signum announced

"That's right" Shamal joined in, adding fuel to the fire "You wouldn't imagine what they get up to together"

"Signum! Shamal! Mou…" Hayate blushed lightly, but decided that she was pleased that they had decided to say what they did. Not only did it give her a chance to introduce them, it also lightened the mood and the crew's view on her. "First Lieutenant Signum and Doctor Shamal." She introduced to everyone.

Before long everyone had gone back to dining, although now and again someone walked up to Hayate or Nanoha and Fate and introduced themselves to them. This was the case for a young mage who, dispite being 4 years older than Nanoha was a full 3 ranks lower.

"Captain Takamachi?" he enquired. Nanoha looked up. "Nice to meet you, I'm Tsukimura Keichi, from Earth."

"Tsukimura? You don't have a younger sister by any chance do you?" Nanoha asked out of interest.

"Why, yes I do. She's 19 this year, that Suzuka." Fate choked on some spaghetti she was eating whilst Nanoha coughed out her lemonade. "Are you two alright?"

"No way…"

"It can't be"

Nanoha pulled up an electronic display and navigated to her photo album named Earth 2005 and pulled up a group picture.

"Oh wow, you know my sister?" Keichi asked, sounding very surprised. Nanoha pulled up a seat beside her and Fate and motioned for Keichi to sit.

"This is so unreal." Fate told Nanoha "What are the chances"

"Pretty high actually". Nanoha turned around and saw Hayate. "I noticed the surname and thought it sounded Japanese, so I opened his file and dug up his records. Of course, that has absolutely no connection to Keichi being assigned to Section 6 of course" Hayate told the group as she pulled up a chair to sit down. Subaru almost fainted, seeing 3 of the most elite mages in TSAB gathered next to her.

"Umm…" Subaru spoke up and everyone turned to look at her. "Do you think it would be possible…to have a photo?" she asked "to commemorate this event and everything" she quickly added on.

"That's a great idea!" Nanoha said cheerfully.

"Ah, I should of thought of that…" Hayate agreed. Truth be told, Hayate had been itching to photograph every one of her friends again but had restrained in order to be a good role model. She still had several very incriminating photo's of Nanoha and Fate in costumes, especially Fate in a maid outfit.

"Raging Heart, if you would" she asked the intelligent device, as she gathered everyone to one side of the table. She but her hands on Carol's shoulders as Fate did the same with Elio. Carol broke out into a blush.

"_Yes my master" _Raging Heart floated up and positioned in front of the group _"Taking in 3, 2, 1, photo taken."_

"Take a few more please" Nanoha requested "and get some individuals as well"

"_Understood my master." _As the group continued to smile, Raging heart floated about taking multiple photographs of the group, announcing a few seconds later _"task completed"_

"Could you make a copy for everyone here please" Nanoha requested.

"_Yes my master, coping for Fate T Harlaown, Hayate Yagami, Carol Ru Lush-"_

"No need to announce the names Raging Heart" Nanoha told her device, and went back to talking to Keichi, who had been drafted in for his unique strategy plans. His work had revolutionised the way mages fought together.

"So have you told Suzuka about you working as a mage?" Nanoha asked.

"No I haven't, I can't seeing as Earth's an non administrated planet"

Nanoha looked at Hayate, who said "The rules were changed the year before the Book of Darkness incident, therefore you didn't encounter any trouble." She turned to Keichi "Your sister already knows about me, Nanoha and Fate being mages. Why don't you give her a call to let her know what your doing?"

"Really? I can do that?"

"Yes, I give you full authorisation to do so" Hayate assured Keichi "in fact, why don't I get you in contact with her now? TSAB installed our mobile display and communication system back when we we're on Earth. We used your house as a temporary safe house." She pulled up a screen and checked the time on earth, 10AM. "Should be just waking up" she determined and clicked connect. A few moments later Suzuka appeared on the screen.

"Hayate?" she practically shouted at the screen "you scared me to death, a screen just popped up in front of me."

"Haha, sorry about that…" She replied, whist she pulled up screens for Nanoha and Fate as well.

"Nanoha! Fate! How are you?" The looked at Suzuka, who looked like she had just gotten out of bed.

"We're fine thanks" they replied "I hope we're not disturbing you."

"No no, not at all. Just surprised that you called. Haven't heard from you guys for nearly 4 years now."

"Yeah, sorry" Hayate told her "We've been very busy. I mean very. Look, we're having an opening ceremony today, I finally got my own team!"

"Congratulations!"

"Anyway, the reason I called today is that we've got someone here who you'd might like to meet"

Suzuka had a very puzzled look on her face. "Is it Elvis?" she asked after a while "Don't tell me Elvis was a mage as well?" Suzuka had during her high school years taken a extreme liking to Elvis's songs and began collecting whatever items she could lay her hands on.

"Haha!" Keichi laughed as he activated his screen "It's me sis" He smiled at her and saw just how much she had grown in the last 6 years. When he left home she was still a child, but now, it was obvious she was much more mature. She gave off an aura which suggested she was sophisticated, which Suzuka was, after spending a lot of time with her parents and entertaining clients.

"Onii-chan?" She questioned, with a slight look of disbelief in her eyes. Although he had not changed much, save from his hairstyle which had become less rebellious, she was very surprised to see him, especially through technology which was at least another 100 years off.

"Yep" He said with a smile "Hey there, sorry I haven't spoken to you in a long time. As you've probably guessed now, I'm not working in Russia." His family believed that Keichi was working for a construction firm in Russia, which specialised in maintaining buildings over 200 years old. The truth could not be more different, over 200 light years away, acting as a strategist for a civilisation based heavily on magic.

"You're a mage as well Onii-chan?" she asked.

"Not quite"

"You see" explained Hayate "Your brother was recruited by TSAB when they noticed him playing 3 Kingdoms, you know…, the one that is completely based on strategy. He was unbeaten through countless tournaments earning the nickname of Sun Tzu. TSAB decided to challenge him as a test for their new cadets. They had expected the failure of new cadets in defeating Keichi, but what followed worried them profoundly. One by one more experienced Tactical Officers challenged him, but each one of them fell, unable to outguess him.

Eventually TSAB headquarters sent several officers to Earth to make contact with your brother with the mission of finding out just how he formed his strategy. Naturally your brother wouldn't reveal any secrets about his tactics. TSAB at this point considered Keichi to be too beneficial to TSAB to pass up and offered him a job as a Tactical Officer. Whilst Keichi was reluctant to accept at first, after seeing Mid-Childa he felt compelled to stay."

Suzuka was silent for a few moments, as she absorbed in all the information that had been given to her. "Is Mid-Childa really that wonderful?" she asked at last. The two siblings chatted for a while whilst the 3 Aces listened in, joining the conversation from time to time, before they decided to leave Keichi to it. They turned to the 4 new cadets, telling jokes about their past missions and experiences to the 4 cadets, who listened intensely to their story, all wanting to know more about the mysterious Aces.

"And then Nanoha was like "but why can't we just blow it up?" after the instructor had explained the situation. The point of the excersise was to show that fighting doesn't necessarily result in the best outcome, but I guess in the case of Nanoha, every outcome is good as long as she gets to fire Starlight Breaker."

"Mou…you know that's not true Hayate". Nanoha looked around the table at the 4 cadets who were soaking up every word, and Fate, who was smirking.

"But it is!" she insisted, looking at Nanoha's cross face "ever since you invented Starlight Breaker, you've used it in every other battle!"

"That's not fair!" Nanoha sulked "We were up against enemies several times more experienced than ourselves…the only way I could beat them was to blast them strong and hard."

"I would say char-grilled" Hayate said cheerfully. Everyone looked at her. "Char-grilled…get it, char-grilled?"

"Hayate…if there was one thing you were every bad at…it would be jokes." Fate told her calmly "To this date I have never understood a single one of them."

"That's just you Fate, I'm sure that Subaru over here understood it". She looked at Subaru, eyes gleaming. Subaru reclined rapidly, before pulling a face.

"Um…yes ma'am, that was hilarious." She said awkwardly. Nanoha just shook her head and looked at Hayate.

"You singled out Subaru as the one who would be most afraid of you Hayate" she told her "and then you fully abused your rank and reputation to make her agree with you. Is that the way to set a good example?"

"What are you talking about?" Hayate replied "Subaru was just telling the truth, weren't you Subaru?" Her head turned towards Subaru and her eyes gleamed yet again.

"Yes ma'am!" Subaru shouted, eager to get out of this dangerous position of insulting one of the two Aces. That, she decided, would be the end of her career and most probably, her life as well.

"There we go." Hayate said as she turned towards Nanoha, grinning happily. Fate just sighed at the childish behaviour of her two best friends.

Suddenly, sirens blared as the scramble lights switched on. _"Emergency" _called a mechanical voice _"High energy sources detected passing by. Energy levels are above set levels and there has been no authorisation for the transportation of high energy type goods in this area."_

"Nanoha, Fate, scramble" Hayate told the pair as her commanding personality kicked in. 

"Yes ma'am" the two replied in unison.

"Everyone to your posts, Kenichi, you're with me." She told the man as she walked pass his table towards the command post on the 2nd floor. Every person in the room acted like professionals, putting down what they were doing and proceeding to haste with their post, some of them already working on sifting through data on monitors that appeared in front of them. The 4 cadets were left wondering what to do, along with the kitchen staff.

Nanoha and Fate had run outside before activating their barrier jackets. With a gentle push they soared into the air, gaining altitude before contacting base.

"Stars 1 to base, requesting target location"

"Stars 1, please proceed south of your current location, around 2000 metres."

"Understood." Raging brought up a compass in front of Nanoha who began to fly south, closely followed by Fate. The two left a tail of pink and yellow light behind them as the sped off in the night. Travelling at around 78 metres per second, they would soon approach the targets location.

"Base to Stars 1 and Lightning 1, please be aware that target is heading east at over 200 metres per second." Nanoha looked at Fate, who flew up along side her.

"That's some serious speed" she shouted to Fate, and turned to travel in a south easterly direction. The two suddenly jumped to just over 180 metres per second. A few moments later, they spotted a bright white light flying just below the clouds. They flew lower to intercept. As they drew nearer Nanoha contacted base again. "Stars 1 to base, permission to intercept target."

Back at base, Hayate was considering her request. "It's not responding to our hails?"

"No ma'am."

She turned to Kenichi. "What's your opinion?" she asked him.

"It's purposely not responding" he replied calmly, looking over the results of the scans "Even if it did not hear our hails, two mages are within 50 metres of it. There is no way it cannot see them."

"Base to Stars 1" Hayate announced "Permission granted, be careful"

"Understood" Nanoha looked at Fate. "Fate, you take left, I'll take right" she spoke telepathically." Fate nodded as she sped to the left of him, Nanoha easing towards the right. Although they were travelling parallel to the target, the light was too bright to see who it was. "This is Captain Takamachi of the Time Space Administration Bureau" she shouted towards the light "I order you to reduce speed and come to a halt now"

The ball of light suddenly accelerated, whilst Nanoha and Fate tried to keep up. Soon they were travelling over 250 metres a second, with the ball of light still accelerating.

"I'm at my limit!" Fate told Nanoha, who replied "I can't go much faster either! What the hell is that thing?" she tried to speed up, before realising that no matter what she did she had no chance of catching up. "Time for plan B" she told herself. "Raging Heart, load cartridge."

"_Load Cartridge" the device repeated, __initiating the action._

"Accel shooter!" 20 balls of light formed around her and sped off towards the light, quickly gaining speed. As the balls approached the target it stopped suddenly and let the attack hit it. Large flashes followed by smoke appeared whilst Fate and Nanoha caught up, trying to surround it. A low whining noise was made as the smoke cleared. The light had died down and Nanoha got her first view of the target.

"Eh!?" she called out, seeing a white ball of feathers in the middle of the sky. "What the hell is that?" Suddenly the ball began to spin and feathers flew off, each one flying towards either Fate or Nanoha at high speed.

"_Protection"_

"_Defencer"_

Nanoha grimaced as the feathers began to hit her shield, although she was pretty sure they weren't real feathers. Each feather had quite a punch behind it, pushing her back slightly with each hit. Fate started falling back, taking evasive manoeuvres to place an attack on the target.

"_Haken"_ Bardiche announced as it formed a energy blade in order to make a direct hit on the target. Nanoha fell back as well and began bombarding the target to clear a path for Fate. As balls of magical energy began to hit the it, the wings folded up into a ball again and allowed the energy to hit. After several barrages Nanoha was sweating slightly but still had made dealt no visible damage. Fate flew in to take a swing at it, but the wings did not move at all. As the energy blade came into contact with the wings, Fate found herself unable to cut through. She fell back and regrouped with Nanoha.

"What the hell?" she asked her counterpart, who looked just as troubled.

"Is it even a life form?" Nanoha asked, as she called Raging Heart into Excelion mode. "I'm gonna hit it with a Buster" she told Fate.

"_Strike Flame"_ A pink spear appeared on the tip of Raging Heart and wings supported it as Raging Heart loaded 4 cartridges into herself.

"A.C.S Driver!"

"_Charge"_ As Nanoha flew towards the ball, she prepared herself for any sudden movements by the feathers. There were none, as the ball just floated lifelessly, as if daring her to attack with everything she had.

"Damn it" she said to herself as she flew closer. The strike flame made contact with the surface of the ball and Nanoha felt herself being stopped with a strong push. As Raging Heart emptied more cartridges into itself to make the tip stronger and give more push, Nanoha realised that she wasn't going to be able to break the barrier. She called off the attack and started falling back, as the feathers unrolled themselves and began to fire feathers at her yet again. Instead of calling up a shield, she took evasive action, planning out her next move.

"Fate!" she called out "I'm gonna go with Starlight Breaker!

"OK! Leave it to me!" Fate shouted as she flew in front of her, casting a wide area shield in front of her, whilst Plasma Lancer towards the wings. Once again the wings collapsed into a ball and Fate lowered her shield, continuing to pound the ball with attacks as Nanoha built up energy. Nanoha decided to try something a bit different, forming 3 balls simultaneously. Raging Heart loaded a full magazine of cartridges into itself, as well as taking magical power from Nanoha and around her. Finally, the balls were ready.

"Ready!" shouted Nanoha to Fate, watching her back away and fire her remaining lances. "Starlight BREAKER!" Nanoha shouted, hitting the large ball of collected energy with Raging Heart. It sped off towards the target, which still sat there, as if teasing the two mages. As the ball of energy edged closer, the wings began to smoke, until eventually there was contact. Smoke was coming from the wings in increasing intensity, until finally it pushed the ball to one side by unravelling its wings again, firing feathers at the same time towards Nanoha, who didn't see it coming.

"AHHHHHH!!!" Nanoha screamed in pain as several feathers tore through her, ripping small holes through her as Fate rushed to cast a shield in front of her.

"Are you alright?" Fate asked, concerned as her partner laid in her arms, bleeding heavily.

"I'm….fine" Nanoha told her, wincing as she picked up her arm "A few scratches won't hurt me." She stood up and positioned the two remaining energy balls in front of her, whacking the first one towards the wings, the second following a few seconds later. As feathers approached the balls they disintegrated under the intense pressure and heat given off. The wings tried to form itself back into a ball again, but it was to late as Nanoha's attack was already upon it, slamming itself into the wings. As it attempted to push the ball away, the second one suddenly hit the first one, causing the two to explode, unleashing the energy inside the ball.

As the smoke cleared Nanoha looked weakly at the place where the wings had be. They were no longer there, instead, falling silently towards the ground. "We've don't it" she whispered gently to Fate, before picking herself up. Blood suddenly spilled out of her, as a gust of wind pushed Fate away. Nanoha couldn't utter a scream, her eyes wide with shock, her face one of agony. Fate looked as she desperately regained control of herself at her friend, who had a large lance stabbed through her body, coming out the other side. The lance was made from feathers, which one side of Nanoha was stained red.

"AHHH!" Fate shouted in desperation, as Nanoha started to loose consciousness. The feathers seem to melt into a liquid, flowing into Nanoha's body before disappearing. Nanoha began to fall towards the ground, as Fate raced towards her with everything she had. Her hands outstreached, she made contacted with her partner and scooped her in her arms. Nanoha's face was very pale, and a hole round 10 centermeters large was in her chest. Fate could see right through, as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Hayate! Hayate can you hear me!" Fate shouted telepathically to Section 6's headquarters, which had no idea what was going on since the battle had gone beyond their radar range. Fate flew rapidly towards the base, whilst she cast every type of healing spell she knew on Nanoha.

"Fate, what's wrong?" Hayate asked, as she tried to bring up monitors.

"Nanoha's been injured, badly. I need Shamal to be on stand by."

"How badly?" Hayate asked, just as Fate entered the radar range. Monitors flew up as the control room gasped. "Oh shit." Exclaimed Hayate, falling back into her seat. She contacted Shamal who was already on her way to the entrance of the base, with her medical team and a bed, readying fluids that would try to sustain Nanoha's body and the blood loss.

As Fate flew into base and landed, she handed over Nanoha to Shamal without a word, who rushed her back to her surgery. Watching her and her team push Nanoha towards the lifts, Fate turned away and fell to her knees, lost. Hayate walked out from the building and walked up to her, putting her hand on her shoulder.

"She's gonna be alright" she told Fate, in an attempt to console her "She's recovered from more serious injuries." Fate remained on the floor, with no recognition of hearing Hayate. "Come on, lets get you inside" Hayate said, as she helped up Fate, who turned to look at her. They stood like that for a while, looking at each other in pure silence, when finally Fate screamed out loud and began crying, teardrops falling from her cheeks in torrents. Hayate hugged her gently and Fate laid her head on her shoulder, sobbing gently.

"Why…w-why did it have to be her again" Fate asked herself "after all the battles we've fought together, w-why is it always her to get hurt?" Fate looked up at Hayate, who just continued to rub her back gently. "A-after so long. After so many years we're together again. Why does this have to happen now?"

Hayate stood besides her silently, until she calmed down and her sobbing died down. Then, slowly, she let go of her, taking her hand and whispered to her softly "let's get inside and sit down, shall we?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Fate could not get to sleep that night; she tossed and turned for a few hours, before getting up and going towards Shamal's office again. Again she was refused entry, but unlike before, when she pounded the door and shouted at Shamal to let her in, she was in a much calmer state and sat down on a bench outside the office. Hayate was doing much the same, pacing around the whole of Section 6 headquarters before eventually rounding a corner to find Fate sitting on a bench.

"You're not getting any sleep?" She asked, knowing the answer already, but thinking that it was essential to get Fate to talk and keep her mind from going crazy and doing something over the top. Last time Nanoha was injured she nearly blasted off the door to the medical office just to see her.

"I can't sleep" Fate replied calmly. Hayate considered her for a moment and decided she looked visibly calmer than she was a few hours earlier, but she knew that her friend was in turmoil inside herself. She slowly sat down besides her, putting her hand around Fate. Fate did not react to her touch immediately, but after a few minutes, lent against Hayate.

"She'll get through this" Hayate told her "She's managed to pull off spectacular feats that are much more amazing than this. Remember when I was under the spell of the Tome of the Night Sky? She managed to hold off the defence program? Any other mage would have been blown away immediately." Hayate began softly stoking her hair, calming the young woman down further.

"But this time I was there…" Fate sobbed gently "I was with her, I should have protected her!" Hayate hugged the young women even closer to her, whispering softly.

"It's not your fault" Hayate paused to think of what to say to her. "No one knew what the enemy was. You weren't prepared." She knew it didn't sound very convincing to Fate, but she knew that nothing she said would stop her for blaming herself for what had happened. Just then the light above the door of the medical office blinked from red to green. The door slid open as Shamal emerged, her face not betraying any emotion.

"Shamal!" Fate jumped up from her seat immediately, Shamal held up her hands to slow her down. "How is she?" Hayate also stood up and looked her knight in the eye, a serious look no her face.

"She's…stable" Shamal started off. "The damage caused is no longer life threatening. With the medical technology available to TSAB, I can also heal her spinal cord, although she will take some time to get used to the changes."

"What changes?" Fate asked anxiously.

"Don't worry, she will make a full recovery. But when the spinal cord is repaired, the way you control your actions differs from previously. In simple terms, her hand eye coordination will take a few months to recover to her original state. However…" Shamal looked concerned at Hayate.

"However!?!" Fate practically shouted at Shamal. Hayate nodded to Shamal to continue.

"She has something inside her." Shamal began, leading them into her office, where models of Nanoha were displayed on the screens around her. She pointed at a round shape which was around 20 centimetres below her neck.

"This has implanted itself into her, and in her current condition, it's dangerous to remove it. However, if we leave it any longer, removing it will be life threatening as well."

Fate looked shocked, whilst Hayate considered their options calmly. Removing it in Nanoha's current condition would be too dangerous, but leaving it to be? "It's won't be life threatening if we leave it?"

"So far as I can tell, it won't affect her health at all…but…." Shamal looked concerned at Fate again, who had staggered over to an examination table and sat down.

"Go on" Hayate encouraged, knowing that Fate would rather hear everything.

"I don't know how this will affect her linker core. Her magic may be unstable due to the closeness of the object to her linker core. The artefact…seems to be affecting her linker core."

"What do you mean?" Hayate asked puzzled as to how anything could affect the linker core. In TSAB history, linker cores were extremely un-reactive in their normal state. The only way to get them to react to something was to rip them out of a person, which normally caused a coma to the patient. A hologram of Nanoha's linker core appeared in the middle of the room. The bright pink sphere was slightly dimmer than usual, but it seemed to be pulsating.

"What's happened to it?" Fate asked as she got up from the examination table, starting towards the middle of the room.

"It appears to be fluctuating, ranging from 2000 to 3000 mags."

"But that's a whole two classes!" Fate shouted out loud. "No, wait, that's going above SSS!"

Shamal tried to get Fate to calm down as she continued to explain "Normally a fluctuating linker core is a sign of growth, but for Nanoha's linker core to continue to grow at her age. That hasn't been heard of. That's why I'm worried about the effects on her magic."

Fate let out a deep sigh of relief. Things hadn't been as bad as she had thought. Nanoha would make a complete physical recovery at least. As for her linker core, she was sure Nanoha would heal. Hayate looked much more cheerful now that she knew her team member was not in any immediate danger.

"Can we see her?" Fate asked after a while. Shamal frowned.

"It's been mere hours since Nanoha received a critical injury! Of course you can't! Besides, what kind of an hour do you call this?" She waved her hand as she spoke and a digital clock came up, showing the time of 04:30 hours. Shamal had always been grumpy when it came to forceful visitors.

"We understand Shamal" Hayate spoke quickly, pushing Fate towards the door "We'll be back tomorrow!" she told her as they walked out and the door closed behind them. Hayate, having lived with the woman for more than half her life, knew when not to annoy her any further.

Hayate accompanied Fate to the cafeteria where they got themselves a coffee. They sat down together at a small table. None of them spoke; they just enjoyed each others company. The sun slowly began to rise above the horizon and their duties called for them. Hayate had to sort out the new officers and assign them to their duties, whilst Fate opted to fill in for Nanoha.

Soon officers began to file into the hall. When they saw Fate and Nanoha they either saluted or bowed, before proceeding with what they were doing before. Everyone had heard of what had happened to Nanoha the night before, but all were sensible enough to not talk about such matters in the vicinity of Fate.

"I had better be going" Hayate announced as the second round of officers entered the hall for breakfast "I have to supervise everything." Fate nodded, finishing off her coffee and standing up to accompany her.

"I have to take the new cadets out for training" Fate said as they walked out of the mess hall. "Though I suppose Vita will do a much better job than me." She managed a weak smile and Hayate felt her body's temperature fall by a few degrees.

"Tell you what" Hayate said loudly, eager to change the subject "Lets meet back here at 1800 with the cadets. We can talk about how they've done, and we'll go see Shamal afterwards. She told me that she's going to consult some of the best doctors on Mid-Childa.

Fate smiled, genuinely this time and replied "Sure that sounds good." The two split with Hayate going up to her office and Fate going down to the training grounds. Although the cadets weren't due for another hour, she wanted some time on her own. This was not to be though, as she spotted Signum on the training platform, practicing her movements as usual.

"Morning Signum" Fate called as she approached. Signum finished her set of moves before turning to respond. As she turned around, her ponytail swung across her shoulder, glistening in the morning sunlight.

"Good morning Fate" she spoke, with no emotion showing in her voice, nor on her face. The knight had a knack for being cold to everyone, although those who got to know her knew that this was not the case. She merely didn't let her affection show. Signum knew better than to talk of last night, and promptly followed through with a challenge. "Would you like to duel with me Fate? It has been a long time since our blades have crossed."

Fate knew that Signum's objective was to distract her, but that was her objective as well, to try and keep her mind off last night. She quickly accepted and Signum set up a new training simulation. Skyscrapers shot up from the ground and solidified as their training ground was set up. Signum had a distinct liking for fighting in cities Fate had discovered over the years.

As the two descended into the city, Fate activated Bardiche and put on her barrier jacket. Over the last 9 years she had only changed it once to find something more suitable for an officer. However, Nanoha had a period where she changed the look once a week, trying all sorts of weird outfits. Eventually, she came back to her old design as she couldn't find anything better.

The two split and Fate headed east whilst Signum headed west. They had an agreement that once they lost sight of each other the battle would begin. As Signum faded from Fate's view she cast Plasma Lancer and sent them flying backwards. She then cast it again, this time sending the 8 lances towards the sky. This had been they new strategy she had wanted to try out, by having attacks already cast the enemy would be caught off guard as attacks appeared from nowhere. She doubted that this would work for Signum though.

Fate scanned the area patiently as she flew towards the centre of the city. She knew that Signum normally attacked head on, but recently she had been learning from Hayate who set up traps as she went along. Self automated spells which fired a small shot at the target. This would not be enough to affect the target, but it would provide distraction. Fate's senses suddenly tingled and she lent back as a shot fired from her left hit the building opposite. More flew towards her, from her right and below and Fate took towards the skies.

She heard a yell from above as Signum descended upon her, Laevantine in her hands. Fate blocked with Bardiche and sent her lancers towards Signum, forcing her to back off and giving time for Fate to cast a shield to block the shots flying towards her from the ground.

"_Bogenform"_

Fate looked up to see Laevatine in his bow form and arrows flying towards her. She dodged and moved in closer to attack with a simple swing, which Signum blocked using Laevatine in his bow form.

"_Arc Saber"_

As Bardiche revealed an energy scythe Signum fell back to change Laevatine back into sword form, giving Fate time to cast several offensive bolts which shot towards Signum, following her as she sped upwards.

From a distance the new recruits were standing there with eyes wide. Subaru had a mouth wide open before Tia noticed and poked Subaru in the cheek. As they watched the battle erupting in the sky Vita walked in behind them.

"Hey! Signum! Fate! Stop scaring the newbie's already!" She shouted across the training ground. Subaru and Tia turned around in surprise, whilst Elio and Carol were still enjoying the explosions that flashed above them. Vita pointed a finger at Subaru.

"You!" Subaru flinched before realising she was outranked and stood to attention. Tia stepped to the side as Vita walked towards Subaru. "You're too easily distracted! Did you notice me sneak up on you?"

"Umm…"

"No! Were you even listening?" Vita continued to rant on as Fate and Signum landed behind Subaru and attempted to calm her down. Subaru, not knowing what to do, stood at attention like a wooden plank, not daring to move less Vita decided to blast her. After around 5 minutes, Vita finally calmed down enough to start the lesson.

"Now, as you know Nanoha suffered a injury last night, so she won't be teaching you for a few weeks." As Vita spoke Signum glanced at Fate, who was keeping her emotions hidden. Whilst she wasn't showing any sadness, her face didn't convey any other emotion either, it was just…blank. Subaru and Tia looked at Fate as well, but quickly reverted back to Vita in case she noticed.

"I will be teaching you the basics for today. My name is Sub Commander Vita, just Vita. Do you have any questions?"

Subaru raised her hand but Vita recognised the concerned look on her face, one that she knew all too well. She was going to ask about Nanoha. Vita was trying desperately to keep her off her mind so she ignored her.

"None? Good, let's get started then. Today you will be practicing evasion…" Subaru looked at Tia with a puzzled look on her face, but Tia just shook her head and walked off. Subaru shrugged and decided to ask Tia about it later. Meanwhile Fate had pulled Elio and Carol to one side and started talking to them about what they were going to do for training. As Elio and Carol chatted happily away Fate's mind wandered as she thought back to her high school times.

"Commander Fate?" Carol asked politely and Fate came rushing back from her thoughts and cleared her throat.

"Yes, today we'll also be practicing evasion techniques." As she spoke she pulled up a screen and started to organise a course for the two cadets. A straight path with large buildings on either side, city landscape with bridges darted in here and there, a terrain which they had to become proficient at fighting in.

Turrets were set up in the buildings and on the streets and their objective was to get to the end of the street without being hit, casting only defensive spells. Fate demonstrated to them as she walked at a brisk pace towards the end of the street. A turret suddenly powered up and fired a blue bolt towards Fate, who continued to walk as if she hadn't noticed.

Carol gasped as the bolt appeared to hit Fate, but instead it seemed to go through her. A few seconds later her body blurred and disappeared. Elio spotted Fate around 20 metres down the street on the left. Confused, he brought up a camera recording and played it back. He saw exactly the same thing playing the clip through at ¼ speed. More turrets splashed energy bolts at Fate as she progressed down the street.

There were suddenly several images of Fate on the street, all walking forwards and all being hit by blue bolts, which caused the image to bend slightly before reverting back. Elio couldn't detect any magic being cast and tried to play the recordings back even slower. Finally, he saw Fate, moving as a blur to another position on the street, followed by several bolts micro seconds afterwards. His eyes expanded as he stared in awe at several Fates moving down the street. He didn't have a clue which one was the real one, since all of them seemed to be moving and being hit with bolts.

Fate reached the end and turned around and started back, speeding up into a run as the turrets started their bombardment again. Elio this time saw her blur before appearing on the other side of the street. A few seconds later she stopped in front of the two cadets, not breaking breath at all.

"So, do you understand what to do now?" she asked, enjoying the gaping mouths the two cadets had on their faces. Faces of disbelief and awe.

"How…how did you do that?" Carol asked in a squeal, with her arms brought up to her chest and she jumped up and down. "That was sooo cool!". Fate started grinning as she explained what she did to Elio and Carol.

"Constant repetition leads to great dexterity. In short, practice makes perfect. I'm not casting any magic, but I can direct the flow of magic to help me run faster. Much faster." As she explained how to channel the energy through their bodies, several explosions sounded from the second training simulator. Vita was obviously showing the cadets her version of evasion.

"The aim is not to run!" Vita shouted at Subaru and Tia, who were flailing about madly as Graf Eisen's 'Swallow Flier' blew up the artificial soil around them. "Block it! They're not that powerful!" Subaru turned around in an attempt to block, but quickly turned around again and started to run as she realised that her shield would most likely shatter under the stress of the shot.

Tia leaped forward and turned around in mid air, trying to shoot the flaming ceramic sphere but the wasn't accurate enough as the shots flew to the right of her target. She landed on her back and rolled to the side, followed promptly afterwards by a loud explosion and soil raining down from the air as Vita's attack hit the ground.

Vita was becoming progressively more annoyed at the lack of training the two had had as she cast more Swallow Fliers in the air. As one approached Subaru, who was exhausted from the running and couldn't keep up, she decided to cast a shield with her left hand. As the sphere impacted she could feel her shield giving away, she tried to concentrate more power into it, but she wasn't fast enough and her shield shattered and the shot went shot forward.

A sudden gleam of white came from Subaru's right and she watched as if in slow motion as the sphere that was flying towards her disintegrated and lost its enchantment. She felt the debris hit her like little pebbles as she shut her eyes and brought her hands up to shield her face. As she opened her eyes slowly she could see Signum standing in front of her, cutting through the enchanted balls with ease and grace.

"Vita!" she shouted as 4 more came flying towards her. She cut two of them in one smooth stroke, grazed the third lightly and stabbed the fourth, shattering it around her.

"Vita damn it! Calm down! That attack was far too strong and you know it!" She cut two more, before falling back to shield Subaru from the faster debris. When she looked up again, she could see that Vita had loss control. Her eyes were no longer seeing, they were blank. Her body moved in a robotic motion, casting repeatedly her 'Swallow Flier', four at a time. Blood was slowly dripping from her mouth. She had bitten herself in anguish, in hate, hate for herself not being able to help Nanoha.

Just like before. Just like 5 years ago, where her arrogance had caused a fatal injury. Where her arrogance had nearly cost her friend's life. Where her arrogance meant that Nanoha spent 4 months in rehabilitation. It was all happening again, and she could do nothing about it.

"VITA!" Signum shouted as a battle cry as she lunged towards the girl at full speed, Levantine moving as a blur through the air, ceramic flying in all directions.

"Schlange Form" Lavantine announced as links appeared on the blade before a heavy swing by Signum sent them flying around, decimating the spheres that remained in the sky. As she approached Vita she grabbed Lavantine and hit Vita with the hilt. The blow caught Vita square on and sent her flying back a few metres, landing with a loud thud on the artificial grass. It was not enough to knock her out, but she lost her grip on Eisen. 

"Shamal, Vita just lost it" Signum said telepathically, whilst laying her on her back and making sure she was breathing correctly. "I had to force her to stop."

"Understood, I'm coming down now" Shamal announced. Signum turned around and looked at the two cadets, who were shaken and worn out, but otherwise unharmed. Subaru even attempted to give her a thumbs up, but she couldn't sustain it and her arm fell towards the ground.

The training ground was a mess, whilst the artificial terrain remained, some areas had metal showing with bare wires. Signum deactivated the simulation and put in a call to the repair team. The damage wasn't extensive, but it would be a few days before the grounds could be safely operational again.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Shamal floating down from the entrance and turned to meet her. Shamal approached without a word and knelt down next to Vita, she checked her vitals and stood up again.

"She'll be fine, she just needs to rest." Shamal announced, before turning towards Subaru. "You on the other hand, will need a energy boost." Shamal held her hands out and a faint glow appeared around Subaru. A wave of cold air came over her and she felt herself being pumped with energy. Soon, she was back to near normal.

As Signum and Shamal went over the details of what had happened, Tia supported Subaru back up to the base to get changed and to get some rest.

"She lost it. Completely, she was firing AA spells at the recruits."

"She must be under a lot of stress"

"I can imagine, but still, for a Wolkenritter to lose control like that"

"Oh stop it Signum. Anyone can lose it, even you." Quietness swept over the two as a cool breeze blew. Vita stirred.

"Ei…eisen" Vita tried to speak as she opened her eyes.

"Take it easy Vita" Shamal told the girl as she helped her sit up.

"I…I lost it didn't I?" Vita asked, looking at Shamal. No one said a word as her gaze shifted to Signum. But she knew what had happened. She knew that she had lost control as she tried to train Subaru and Tia. She knew that she should never have lost control in the first place.

As tears rolled down her cheeks Shamal tried to comfort her. Signum even knelt down and held her hand, as she spoke softly.

"It's all my fault. When I rushed in…I was over confident. She got hurt. Everybody got hurt, and it's because of me." More tears trickled down as she sobbed gently, "Nanoha got hurt because of me. If I hadn't been so stupid it wouldn't have happened."

"Vita, calm down" gently whispered to no avail as Vita continued.

"If she didn't get…injured, she wouldn't have been…hurt…last night. She never has recovered…completely, I caused that injury, but I…can't heal it. And the injury…just got worse."

"What are you talking about?" Signum said boldly "I can't even understand you. Takamachi made a full recovery. What happened last night had nothing to do with her ability. Didn't you hear Fate's report; an unknown enemy caught them completely off guard. Don't you even think for a second you're responsible!"

"But….it was"

"No buts! Takamachi would not blame you for a second, so do not even dare think about it!"

Stunned silence filled the air as Signum's words sank in. A few seconds later, Vita began to cry and howl as Signum showed a rare act of compassion by hugging her. Vita's tears rolled freely down her cheek and onto Signum's shoulder as Signum herself kept back her tears as she remembered the first time they had met the two mages in the Book of Darkness incident.

Fate watched with a broad smile as Elio performed her evasion techniques as he made his way down the simulated street. Whilst he couldn't keep up more than 2 silhouettes at a time, he was no doubt improving. He was using minimal shields and dodging most of the attacks as Fate had told him to. "Dodging an attack uses less power, leaving you with more to perform spells with".

As the sunlight shone down and a gentle wind blew, Fate could, for a moment, forget about last night's incidents. Her two cadets worked hard and Fate felt a deep sense of happiness as she watched the two perform their training. Elio was following her training perfectly as he dodged the attacks with Strada in his hand. Carol on the other hand…she wasn't doing as well.

"Ahh!" Carol screamed as another shot flew towards her. She brought her hands together and formed a light pink shield. As the shot impacted Carol turned away and shut her eyes tightly. Fate shook her head. The girl had no stamina at all. She was already breathing heavily just from trying to block the attacks, much less dodge them.

"Ah well" she thought to herself "Nanoha will sort them out…" She blinked back tears as the memories of last night came back, images flooding through her mind as she watched over and over again Nanoha being pierced by the feathers. As she watched in agony she noticed something strange. The lance entered Nanoha's body, but she didn't see it exit. She gasped as she put two and two together. The object they had been attacked by last night had embedded itself into Nanoha's body.

She tried to bring up a screen to contact Shamal but before she could Shamal appeared on a display. Her face was one of deep concern and guilt as she spoke quickly and urgently in a high pitch.

"Fate! I'm sorry, I jus-"

"Nanoha! What's happened" Fate broke into a sprint before soaring up into the air as she flew a direct root to the infirmary. It was on the south side of Section 6's headquarters on the top floor. The infirmary was accessible to those who could fly or levitate via a small balcony. As Fate flew round the building Shamal continued her hurried explanation.

"I stepped outside for a few minutes and when I returned Nanoha had disappeared"

"She was abducted?!?" Fate nearly screamed in rage as she flew up to match herself with the balcony and landed. The doors were already open and she saw Shamal in the corner standing besides Nanoha's bed.

"Fate!"

"Was she abducted?" Fate questioned as she looked around for a sign of an attacker.

"It doesn't look like it, nothing at all registered on our systems. That, and the doors were still locked when I came back. It would be impossible to get through the infirmary's security in such a short time."

"Then what the hell happened? Are you telling me Nanoha got up and walked out?!"

"Fate, calm down."

"How can I be calm? My partner has just disappeared from right under my nose!"

"Fate, please. I've got a recording of the incidence. Please, calm down."

"So? Tell me what happened."

"I'm afraid I can't explain." Shamal said as she brought up a screen. She noticed the look on Fate's face and continued on quickly, less she suffer Fate's wrath. "You'd better look for yourself."

As the recording began to play, it showed Nanoha in her bed, eyes closed and not moving. Her heart rate showed on the monitor showing stable. The time was 10.15am. 10 minutes ago.

Nanoha started to glow brightly though her heart rate and other medical recordings remained stable, not showing any sign of distress. After a few moments the light was to bright to make out what was happening. Then, as it started to fade, Fate could not see Nanoha. She had just disappeared. She took a few steps backwards in shock and sat down.

"Are you alright?" Shamal asked with a concerned look. She had known Fate for nearly 10 years now and she knew how attached Fate was to Nanoha.

"Shamal, I've just remembered something. Last night you said there was a foreign object you could not remove."

"Yes, it would have been too dangerous to remove it at that time. Are you saying that it was that caused the disappearance?"

"Last night, we fought against the unknown enemy. Nanoha finally subdued it using 'Starlight Breaker'. We both let our guards down."

"I know what happened; I've read your report of the situation"

"When that attack pierced Nanoha…that image keeps running through my head."

"Do you want me to get you some-"

"No, that's not what I mean. When I think about what happened last night, I can see Nanoha being pierced by the attack. The lance went in, but…but I didn't see it come back out."

"So you think that the attacker left some kind of attack in Nanoha?"

"I couldn't see anything after the attack, nor sense anything. I think…that the enemy embedded itself into…into Nanoha." Fate looked up at Shamal for a response, but the doctor didn't have one. They sat there in silence whilst Hayate came from the control room to arrange a search protocol.

"Fate, Shamal. We've done a wide area scan but we can't find a trace of Nanoha. We've requested that all other TSAB offices also do a scan and we've given them Nanoha's details to them."

"I don't think its going to be of much use." Fate solemnly spoke up, as she looked at Hayate. "That thing was not of this world. The powers it possessed were not of Midchilda or Belka magic."

"What are you saying?" Hayate was puzzled. It was not like Fate at all to be speaking like that, especially about Nanoha.

"I think…if it has taken her, it's gone off world. Any teleportation spell can easily be detected, especially with TSAB technology. Casting any type of spell would cause a residual energy to be left around the area it was cast in. But…theres nothing. Can we get Yuuno to search the infinity library for us for anything about the attacker?"

"I contacted him yesterday. He got back to me this morning, saying that he had to come speak with me in person cause it's classified data."

Fate but on a puzzled face. "We've got clearance though…"

"I mean classified classified. As in…really classified. Top brass stuff." Hayate looked worried as she looked at Fate. "Yuuno is coming to see me this evening, but he left me a hint about what was involved."

"What is it?" Fate's eyes were wide open, attention completely focused on Hayate.

Hayate took a deep breath, paused and spoke in a whisper. "The forbidden capital. Alhazard."

* * *

Billy: Sorry bout the wait! I've been really busy lately...like, really really busy. I've also got the chapter thingy to work as well, so its just a short chapter. I'll be working on the next one though! Any ideas or thoughts, please feel free to contact me.

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Fate's thoughts wandered as she laid on the sofa, examining the reports that had come in from the various TSAB stations across MidChilda. All of them showed a negative response for Nanoha's signatures. She had been prepared for this fact, but the news was still hard to swallow. First her partner is critically injured and then, when she thought everything was under control, Nanoha was snatched away from her.

Fate thought back to her high school days with Nanoha and Hayate. How carefree they had been back then, convinced of their own power. Up until then they had a winning streak; solving every case they had ever been assigned. Their reputation among the TSAB was revered, even among the higher ranks.

They had been assured by their own confidence; nothing could ever touch them, they we're going to climb without any hindrance, fly and soar in the sky. They were immortal. Until that day. How foolish they had been, thinking that raw power would get them through any situation, letting themselves into an ambush which severely injured both Nanoha and Vita. Fate sighed heavily; propped herself up and brought up her monitor. With age came wisdom, wisdom she wished she had earlier in life.

She noticed she had received an email.

_Fate:_

_Surprise! Bet you didn't expect me to email you huh? I've just been given Friday off, so I'm setting up a little surprise. Go to the front gate in 20 minutes. Love you._

_Nanoha_

Fate stared at the screen, her mind blank. When she focused on the email again, she considered someone playing a very tasteless prank on her. Whilst most people got on very well with Fate, there were certain rivals who were jealous of the fact she had manage to become the ace of the navy at such a young age.

She looked at the sender's address and put it through a tracer to make sure that it did actually come from that address. The tracer confirmed positive. Nanoha had sent her the email. Tears silently flowed down her cheeks as a deep stabbing sensation grew in her chest, making it hard to breathe, a choking sensation in her throat. She grabbed a cushion and buried her head in it, crying gently with a whimper now and again.

"_Sir, there is a call from the receptionist coming in, should I reject?"_ Bardiche's voice cut through the silence. Fate sat up and hurried to wipe her tears away, arranging her uniform to an acceptable manner.

"Put her through Bardiche."

"_Yes Sir."_

"Umm, Investigator Harlaown, there is a taxi waiting for you outside, says it was booked on Tuesday by…" The receptionist hesitated to mention the name but the look in her eye gave it away.

"By Nanoha right. Tell him sorry, but due to-" Fate stopped and thought for a second. The receptionist waited patiently for her reply. "Did the driver say it was booked to go to a destination?"

"Yes, he did. He said that he was to take you to Hope Hill." Fate thought for a little longer, before deciding that there was no use for her staying at Section 6 headquarters. She wanted some fresh air, but more than anything, she wanted to be closer to Nanoha.

"Please could you tell the driver I'll be down shortly."

"Yes ma'am"

As the communication screen faded away, Fate allowed her thoughts to wander for a little longer as she changed out of her uniform into some casual clothes. Her fascination with the colour black remained but today she wore white with pink. Fate didn't think about what she was putting on, but they were all presents from Nanoha. A white skirt with a matching white top, laced with pink silk, given to Fate on the Christmas before. A light cardigan for her birthday, sensible high heels for commemorating a promotion. Fate tried to cling on to anything she had of Nanoha's. She could almost hear her laughter in the distance, smell the shampoo she used on her hair, touch the delicate-.

The screen blinked up again, this time showing a young man with blond highlights. The receptionist popped up in front of him, but before she could speak, Fate waved her hand at the screen and walked out the room.

As she walked down to the entrance she walked past several staffing members of Section 6. They all bowed politely to her and whilst she returned the gesture, her eyes were cold. Most of the staff had not had any previous experience with the aces, but they could all tell just how close they were, especially the bond between Nanoha and Fate.

Fate woke up from her trance as she walked towards the reception desk. She thanked the receptionist and walked through the sliding doors of Section 6. The sun shone brilliantly in the sky and the sea glimmered in the distance. Fate didn't register any of the surroundings though; she merely walked towards the taxi that was parked outside.

"Miss Harlaown?" the driver inquired as he stepped out of his vehicle to open the door for Fate.

"Yes, that's me" Fate replied as she stepped in. The driver closed the door and sat back in the drivers seat, started the engine and pulled out. The interior was made mainly of leather, something which Nanoha adored but Fate found rather tasteless. Her car had been installed with gadgets and technical extras, leaving no room for luxuries, not even a cup holder. Fate's mind wandered again as she looked out the window at the sea as they drove.

"Call me Mike" the driver said cheerfully "I'm a friend of Nanoha's. She's always talking about you."

"Oh. She is?" Fate's reply was cold and toneless, lacking any emotion. Mike noticed and decided to keep silent. As he drove he noticed the blank look on Fate's face.

"Did something happen?" he asked cautiously. He looked up and saw Fate's reflection in the mirror. It was a sad face.

"Nanoha's…" Fate hesitated as tears began to collect in her eyes again. She quickly blinked them away and continued on. "Nanoha's been abducted."

The car shuddered as Mike's foot slipped whilst changing gears. His face showed genuine concern as he continued along the highway. He looked up again and saw Fate's piercing eyes staring straight back. "What happened?"

"Please Mike…". Fate let out a small whimper as she clutched her seatbelt. Tears started to gather in her eyes and though she tried to blink them back, a single tear leaked down her cheek. Fate hurried to wipe it way but Mike noticed. He concentrated on his driving once more.

"Right, I won't ask."

The rest of the journey was silent, Fate staring blankly out the window. As they drew closer to their destination Mike spoke about the history of the hill, but Fate didn't hear him, he was a faint drone in the background, along with the sound of the car engine. All she could hear was Nanoha's laughter as she whispered gently into her ear. All she could see was Nanoha, smiling and dancing around, always energetic.

"Umm…Fate?" Fate felt a hand shake her shoulder and she shook her head. Her eyes focused onto Mike and she looked around. They had arrived.

"Would you like me to wait here, Miss Fate? Nanoha only booked a one way, but I assumed she would be-" Mike realised what he had just said and shut up, glancing at Fate who was facing away from him, looking at the sea spread out in front of her.

She turned around, hair flowing wildly in the wind. "It's OK Mike, I'll make my own way back." She said with a gentle smile. Mike relaxed as she saw Fate in a better mood and nodded before starting his car and driving away. Fate turned back to the scenery, the wind blowing her hair and skirt. She stood and watched as time went by, watching the calm sea glimmer. She stood for hours, as if in a trance, until the sun started its descent and the skies turned orange. Sunset.

"Fate…" a gentle whisper woke Fate from her dream as she turned around. She saw nothing as her eyes wandered from left to right.

"Fate…" a louder voice called as Fate spun around again and her eyes caught a glimpse of a glimmering object floating in the air. She called Bardiche into battle mode and pointed him at the object, cloak twirling through the air as she turned her body to face it, taking a defensive stance. The glimmering brightness was exactly the same as that of the enemy she had faced with Nanoha. The same as the light that had engulfed Nanoha as the disappeared.

"Bardiche" she called out as she prepared her stance, adrenaline flowing through her body as she activated Bardiche into scythe mode, feeling the force of the blade extending from the body.

"Fate..."

"Who are you!" Fate shouted at the glowing light as it hovered in front of her. "Where's Nanoha?!" The light showed no response as it continued to float just off the cliff, over the sea. The voices continued, calling Fate, gradually getting louder. Fate stayed on her toes as she continually scanned around, waiting for some kind of attack. Nothing came.

Instead, the glowing light moved slowly towards her. She brought up Bardiche in defence but held her position. But it continued to move towards her, unrelenting, until they were mere centimetres apart.

"Fate Testerossa." A cold voice announced. Fate tightened her grip but nodded in recognition.

"My mistress has sent me to tell you that she will be returning soon." Fate's face was one of puzzlement. It's mistress? Coming back soon? Who was its mistress? Why would she worry, unless. Unless… She shook her head, that was impossible, unthinkable, illogic.

"Who is your master?" Fate demanded, her eyes staring directly into the centre of the light. The reply came after a few moments of silence.

"My master indicated you are most important to her, and that she believes that you place her in equal high regard. My master is Takamachi Nanoha, although she is known to us by another name. Can you say you do not know my master?"

"Nanoha is your master?" Fate's voice faltered as she looked distraught. She did not understand what was happening. "Didn't you attack Nanoha?"

"I am afraid that was unavoidable. It was necessary to determine if the had enough potential to continue the bloodline." Fate suddenly snarled, her concentration broke with her self control and she began swinging Bardiche around.

"What bloodline?!" She yelled at the top of her voice, "What are you talking about? Return Nanoha to me!"

"I am afraid my master requires a bit more time before she will return. She has given a date of next Monday. That is in 3 days time. She asks that you remain patient until then. No harm will come to her-"

"Your lying! Give her back now!"

"I am afraid that is not possible, please be patient. All will be explained by my master. I can tell you no more."

"GIVE HER BACK!" Fate erupted as she swung Bardiche towards the light. It made no attempt to move and the blade passed though without any resistance.

"I am afraid I am merely a hologram. I shall be leaving now." The light faded away as Fate continued to swing blindly at it in rage. When it had fully faded from view Fate fell onto her knees and was silent. There she stayed, weighing in her mind what had just happened.

Bardiche bleeped, indicating a communication trying to get through. Fate guessed it was Hayate, concerned that she had activated Bardiche in a civilian area. She stood up and activated the communication line.

"Fate! Are you OK?" Hayate's concerned voice filled the silent air. The line was voice only but Fate could picture the concern on her face.

"I'm fine" Fate replied curtly, before adding "thanks".

"What happened? You're in a civilian area and radar didn't detect anything near you" After the last day or two, Hayate had pretty much loss all faith in the military radar. Whatever they were dealing with, it was not conforming to Michilda magical standards.

"The enemy just appeared in front of me. It said it was a hologram though, and that…Nanoha was its mistress."

"Mistress…like I am with the Wolkenritter?"

"I don't know….I don't know…what the hell is going on?!?"

"Calm down Fate, calm down. We'll get someone to pick you up OK, just stay where you are."

Fate didn't bother replying, her mind was too focused on other matters. She tried to analyse the information she knew so far, but all she could think of was immense magical strength and Al Hazard. What was the connection with Nanoha and Al Hazard? Mistress? Of what? What relation would an Earth born girl have with Al Hazard, the ancient capital? Everytime Fate heard Al Hazard her old scars tingled, reminded of the mother who didn't love her, who used her and in the end, turned her back on her.

She shook her head and breathed in the warm air around her, deactivating Bardiche from his weapon form to his storage mode. She sat on the ground and waited for her transport to arrive. She would much rather fly back to base, but she knew that after what she had just done, there was no way Hayate would allow that to happen.

* * *

"What?" Hayate practically shouted to her technicians "You mean to say that the enemy managed to completely evade our radar?"

The technicians sat there looking stunned at Hayate, who rarely went on a rant, let alone over an incidence which was not their fault. Yuuno, who had just arrived, smiled at the technicians and put his finger to his lips, indicating that they should not say a word. One of the technicians nodded politely back to Yuuno. Hayate, being completely absorbed in her rant didn't notice Yuuno's arrival. She spun around at suddenly came at a halt when she saw him.

"Yuuno?"

"Hayate. Long time no see huh?" Yuuno replied cheerfully. Whilst they spoke regularly Hayate and Yuuno had not seen each other in person for a good couple of years. Yuuno had developed into a tall handsome man with a long ponytail that sent Hayate into a mild frenzy of excitement everytime she saw it. Hayate stared at Yuuno for a moment, taking in all his features before shaking her head and blushing slightly. Now was not the time.

"Yuuno! Haven't seen you in a while! Come into my office." She motioned for Yuuno to follow her as she requested her aid to get 2 coffees. "I wish we could meet under better circumstances, but I'm afraid we're in a critical situation. Nanoha's been abducted and Fate just had another confrontation with them."

Yuuno looked surprised as they both entered Hayate's office. He saw Reinforce Zwei and waved at the hologram, who waved back. "Confronted? They attacked again?" As they sat down Hayate's face became serious.

"They just appeared in front of Fate. She doesn't seem to have attacked, or at least the attacks haven't registered on or radar. We detected her activating her device, but no energy attacks were detected. In fact, we couldn't even see the enemy." She gazed down at the table, physically and mentally exhausted from the events of the last 48 hours.

"Well, this is going to be rather complicated to explain, and rather unbelievable, but hear me out." Hayate looked at Yuuno with a look of curiosity.

"You mean you know what the enemy is?" She finally asked after a while.

"Well, a theory of what they are and what they want with Nanoha, if the records at the infinity library are correct, although the records were thought to be myths for a long time." He looked at Hayate, waiting for her approval to go on. She nodded at him.

"I think that the enemy Nanoha and Fate fought against last night was part of an automatic system set up from the times of Al Hazard. It's like your Reinforce system, with the knights and Reinforce Zwei. It's a program that's been running for thousands of years, waiting for the princess to come of age."

"The princess? Are you talking about Nanoha?" Hayate was very confused. Nanoha had never mentioned anything about being royal.

"Well, the records refer to a princess and it is said that those who are not decendents cannot use the system. Those so called balls of light, their the defence system that the program has in place. They act like your knights, protecting the princess."

"But if Nanoha was the princess, or is the princess, why did the knights attack her? That doesn't make sense!"

"This is just speculation, based on the history we know of Al Hazard. They used to hold a coming of age test, where the children of nobles had to demonstrate they had the capacity to carry on the family name."

"So Nanoha is a noble, descended from a family who existed…in Al Hazard?"

"That's what the records indicate, a noble, no, a royal descendent from Al Hazard. With a guardian system far more powerful and dangerous than yours Hayate. I think that the power we saw demonstrated by the enemy was a mere fraction to avoid hurting the princess."

"Hurting? Is that what you call the great big fucking gap in Nanoha?" Hayate lost her temper for a second, but quickly regained her composure and continued. "Besides, we don't have a clue about what their power is like. They never appeared on the radar and we've had minimal visual."

"Oh come on Hayate" Yuuno replied, picking up his coffee and talking a gulp "we're talking about Takamachi Nanoha, The White Devil, Ace of Aces. If they system could injure Nanoha there's no doubt that its much stronger than any other form of lost logia. Apart from the Jewel Seeds, but they were power it themselves, they had no proper form." He set his cup down and continued "If Fate's reports are correct, the guardian survived a direct hit from Nanoha's Starlight Breaker. The only thing that's equalled that in the past has been the Reinforce defence program."

"So their testing Nanoha. For what? And now why have they abducted her? Theres just too many holes and questions unanswered!"

"My conclusion is that they've taken Nanoha back in order to officially set up the system, so that the guardian systems can take a more solid form. Like your knights, if their system was formatted then they would take on a similar form. You possess something that has been created and used by a Al Hazard noble. The same now applies for Nanoha."

"So the system tests Nanoha, determines that she is suitable to continue the bloodline of whatever family they were guarding, take Nanoha with them in order to-. Wait. Where are they taking Nanoha?"

Yuuno smiled and replied simply "Al Hazard"

The door suddenly slides open, Yuuno and Hayate both turn to face a tired Fate. Pale patches are appearing below her eyes and her expression is one of extreme fatigue.

"Fate! Sit down, Rein, would you go get Fate a coffee?"

"Hai desu" Rein cheerfully replies whilst Fate takes a seat next to Yuuno.

"Long time no see huh?" Yuuno greets Fate, in an attempt to start off the conversation again.

"Yea, its been a couple of years" Fate replies, weariness in her voice. She turned to Yuuno and asked "So, you know anything about Nanoha?"

"I do, but tell me what just happened between you and the system?"

"The system?" Fate askes in confusion.

"He means the enemy." Hayate quickly explains. As Fate began to explain what happened on the hill and what the hologram had said to her, pieces quickly fell into place. Nanoha was somehow the descendent of a royal family on Al Hazard. Her guardian system, which had been prepared for her, deemed that she was capable of continuing the bloodline of the family and had assigned themselves to her protection. They had taken her to Al Hazard to be properly initiated. If this was true, Nanoha should be returned to them within a few days.

"So if this is true, its good news?" Fate asked, now with much more energy. Her voice was more vibrant once she had discovered that Nanoha has actually safe and would come back.

"Yes, I suspect it is true, judging by how they've reacted. Though the initiation should only take a few minutes. Why do they need a few days? But that's a small problem for now. I think that for now we should just wait for Nanoha to be returned to us, or at least that's our best course of action. And I think I shall do some more research into Nanoha's history."

"You mean how she could hold royal blood?" Hayate asked.

"Yes. The problem now is, if this is all true, then Nanoha has a way of going to Al Hazard. Or rather, Al Hazard actually exists. Imagine the turmoil that would cause if this information leaked out?"

"But I've already submitted a report stating that Nanoha had been abducted. How do I explain that?"

"I'm afraid there's no way around that. The TSAB main office will find out sooner or later. And there will be ones in the main office who would like the power which could be sought from Al Hazard. Not to mention if Nanoha will be able to control her new system."

"This is getting unreal. Too complicated, too fast. We're going to have to somehow cover up Nanoha's truth."

"The truth will come out eventually, it always does." Yuuno said with a sad look on his face "and at a later stage, or rather, if it was leaked out, it would be even more controversial. It's up to Nanoha of course, but I feel that she should announce it to the world."

"WHAT?" Fate nearly ripped Yuuno's head off "Just declare that she's the princess of a royal family? From Al Hazard no less? They'd be calling her mad!"

"Calm down Fate, its only speculation" Hayate reassured her.

"It's not like we don't have any proof. The guardian system will be more then enough. I'm itching to take a look at it. Imagine, a system lost for centuries yet still intact and more powerful than anything we have today."

"Aren't you worried about Nanoha at all?" Fate questioned him, daggers in her eyes. Yuuno was visually startled by this question and quickly replied.

"Of course I am! But if all holds true then she's fine. The power of Al Hazard even managed to bring people back from the dead! Nanoha's wound will be treated and she'll be back in perfect shape."

"But we can't be sure! Theres always a possibility of a beserk system isn't there? I mean, Nanoha? Royal decendent?"

"I admit it's a bit far fetched, but not impossible." He suddenly realised what danger Nanoha could be in if the system really was malfunctioning. His face suddenly darkened. "I-. No. I'm going to look into that right now. How should I explain this to Nanoha's parents?"

"You're going to phone them?" Fate asked in disbelief.

"Well, how else am I going to find out the truth behind her?" Yuuno shot back.

"Well, there are better ways than telling them their daughter has been abducted!" Fate shouted.

"Calm down both of you!" Hayate stepped in before Yuuno could reply. "Look, I realise your worried about Nanoha, both of you, but we have to remain calm. Yuuno is right about contacting her parents. They should be told what has happened and certainly all possible action should be taken in order to look into the possibility of this 'system' from Al Hazard."

Fate nodded after a while and murmured a apology to Yuuno, who apologised back.

"Perhaps you both should call them. Their certainly more familiar with Fate and Yuuno can ask them some specific questions about Nanoha. Work it out between you."

Fate and Yuuno nodded in agreement. "We'll go do that now then." Fate announced as she and Yuuno left Hayate's office. Hayate watched them leave the room and slumped down onto her chair. It had been a long day and tensions were rising. "Nanoha" she called out in her mind "come back soon."

* * *

Nanoha's parents were understanding about the situation even if Momoko was fairly distressed. Although she seemed to take the news well, half way through their conversation she burst into tears. Shiro comforted her until she had calmed down enough to continue the conversation. The subject soon drifted to the inevitable question of what relationship they had with Nanoha.

"Momoko?" Fate asked quietly to gain her attention "I'm sorry to have to ask this but it's vital for us to know, so that we can get Nanoha back as soon as possible." She looked at the woman, now in her late 30's but still looking as young as ever. After a while Momoko nodded for Fate to continue.

"Nanoha-" Fate began, pausing as she thought of the best way in order to ask the difficult question. "Nanoha isn't your biological child is she?" The effect of her question was immediate and obvious by the shock Momoko and Shiro had on their faces. They both fell silent. It was Momoko who first spoke and broke the silence.

"Nanoha…doesn't know right?" she asked as tears began to well up in her eyes. This was a secret they had be meaning to keep for life, to allow Nanoha to grow up without knowing the truth about her origin.

"She didn't know, but if what we think has happened, she will have known by now that she is not your biological daughter" Yuuno explained. Momoko burst into tears as Shiro held her. Further silence followed, broken only by the occasional sob or wail coming from Momoko. Finally Shiro spoke up.

"It was back when we had just opened the café. Early in the morning the doorbell rang, around 4 or 5. I was woken up by the noise and got up, dressed and went downstairs." He paused for a moment, as if recalling the past in his mind. "When I opened the door there was no one there. There was a basket on our doorstep, with a small child, a mere few months old. Only a note accompanied, a plead for us to look after the child and give her a life she deserved." Shiro shook his head at the memories.

"I woke a few minutes later, when I realised Shiro had left the bed." Momoko spoke, tears still rolling down her face "Shiro had run outside, to look for the person who had left the basket. They had long gone since then." She shook her head and blew her nose before continuing. "What were we to do? A child on our doorsteps, we had no choice but to take it in. I had no heart to give it to an orphanage. Not when I could do something about it. Give her a life without the constant knowledge of having no real family." Momoko suddenly stopped, realising what she had said. She let out a small gasp.

"I'm sorry Fate, I didn't mea-"

"Don't worry Momoko. You've always been a motherly figure to me. Besides, Lindy couldn't have been better mother to me." Fate managed a small smile.

"So there was only that note? Nothing else?" Yuuno spoke quickly, eager to get to the bottom of Nanoha's history.

"Well, there was this amulet" Shiro began "But Nanoha never liked it, didn't look cute enough apparently." Shiro smiled at the memory "I've still got it stored away somewhere" He got up and went to look for it. This time it was Momoko who asked the questions.

"Who's kidnapped Nanoha then? You know?" she addressed Yuuno with a serious voice, the quivering and hesitation no longer present.

"We don't know for certain, but what you've said certainly backs up our theory. And if it is true, Nanoha isn't in any danger. If it is true, then Nanoha is a royal descendent from a long extinct city." Momoko was obviously taken back by this reply.

"Royal? Why would someone royal be left on our doorstep?" she questioned, before the full explanation that Yuuno offered sank in. "Wait- You said a…extinct city? That doesn't make sense"

"Well, technically the whole planet went extinct a couple of centuries back. It was a powerful nation, it's magical prowess was far greater than what any nation has today. Al Hazard was the most famous city, a centre point for all magical research and development. But something happened, most likely a surge of uncontrollable power, which destroyed the whole nation."

"So Nanoha…is a descendent from a family there? Isn't that impossible?"

"I had my doubts as well, but all the evidence supports the fact. Not to mention the message it's given us; that Nanoha will be returned within a few days, along with it naming Nanoha its mistress." Shiro had returned with an amulet in hand and showed it to the camera. Yuuno jumped in fright when he saw the insignia.

"Takamachi-san, p-please stay right there! I'll send someone to collect that right away!" He jumped and began making calls to secure a site to site teleportation for his aide. His mind was racing. There was little doubt now, Nanoha _was_ the descendent of a family, royal or not, from Al Hazard. The insignia was proof beyond doubt, an S-class Lost Logia, equalling the Jewel Seeds in terms of magical capacity, Noble Scarlet, a container which specialised in long ranged shots. Much of the details were unclear but records existed of the most dangerous of the Lost Logia. And Takamachi Shiro was holding one in his hand.

"Perfect for Nanoha then" he thought to himself. "If Nanoha was an S class before all this…my God, along with her increase in magical power in her body, she could well be torn apart by the power… This is dangerous, very dangerous."

* * *

A/N :

Sorry it the end is a bit rushed, I have exams coming up and I realised that I hadn't updated in a while. I had the first half of this chapter written around a month ago, so I hadn't written in a long time, had to go back and reread my story :P

All my exams should be finished within 2 weeks so hopefully after that I'll be able to carry on writing. Thats unless I feel I've done so badly that I'm drowning my sorrows...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

ReTurn

Over the next few days Fate became more and more anxious as no news came of Nanoha. Her eyes darted around every time she heard a noise, worried both of another attack and hoping to see Nanoha standing there. She was restless, unable to concentrate on many of her duties. Paperwork piled up for her though her team took the strain as much as possible, without a second thought. Hayate had tried to calm her friend but the effects were short term, she would calm down for a few hours before returning to her heightened state. Luckily the newly formed Section 6 didn't have any assignments for the next few weeks. Training continued with Signum conducting lessons with Vita helping now and again under Signum's supervision.

"Fate, you wanna have dinner together tonight?" Hayate asked as she walked past the blonde in a corridor. Leaving Fate alone at night was dangerous, as they'd discovered a few days back, when she decided to take off and look for Nanoha herself. When questioned about her intentions it turned out she had no idea where she was going to go. Hayate ordered the staff to keep a look out for her, in case she decided to fly out again.

"Huh?" Fate turned to Hayate and blinked a few times before coming to her senses "Yea that would be nice" she replied with a smile. They arranged to meet that evening at 8pm after Hayate had finished her shift. As Fate walked away Hayate thought to herself "Nanoha had better come back soon; I don't know how long I can keep this up…"

Fate's awareness of her surroundings had decreased to the point where the staff actively kept from bumping into her. Most left her alone, not knowing what to say if they did strike up a conversation. Those working in her section talked to her only about work although they made an attempt now and again to get Fate to join them for lunch. Only Elio and Carol talked to Fate about more personal issues as Fate checked up on them every night. She was much more focused when she was with Carol or Elio as they kept her mind from thinking about Nanoha.

Suddenly alarms blared. _"Sir, intruder has been detected on base perimeter"_ Bardiche announced as he received transmissions from the central unit which controlled most of the functions in the base. Fate didn't spare a second to think, her training had kicked in and she had activated Bardiche into scythe mode and donned her barrier jacket. As she ran towards the front entrance the forwards, who were having breakfast in the mess hall, joined her.

"Fate-san!" Subaru called out to her "We have your back!" the young girl yelled as she skated along the corridors with her thumb up. Fate smiled at the comment and nodded, as they ran out onto the main courtyard. They stopped running. The looked up. And their eyes widened.

The sight was amazing as a soft white glow emanated from the centre of the sky. Yellow summoning circles surrounded what could only be a giant portal; magnificent wings surrounded the sphere, pulsating gently. Two rings circled around the sphere, one coloured red, the other yellow. Fate watched as they began rotating ever faster, dropping back slightly as the hit the sound barrier, sending a shockwave throughout the courtyard.

"Fate, sensors indicate a cross dimensional transfer" Fate heard in her head "I don't know what it is, possibly another attack, but..." Fate knew what she wanted to say; it could be Nanoha, finally returning as promised. Whilst they couldn't let their guard down, not knowing what the intentions of the unidentified attackers were, nor if the news about Nanoha was correct, although the evidence in favour of Nanoha's lineage was immense. As Fate debated what to do and whether it was Nanoha who had opened the portal, more summoning circles began forming.

"Fate, we've got too many portals open! There's a chance of a collapse, we've got to shut some of them down!" Fate acknowledged the message with a launch of 'Photon Lancer' aimed at the smaller portals.

"Subaru, Tiana – aim at the smaller portals, shut them down!" she yelled at the two girls. Subaru and Tiana both nodded and began a set attack move on the portal closest to them, with Tiana providing supporting fire to allow Subaru to get close. There was no counter attack. The portals did not close.

"Hayate! They've got the same shields as the previous enemy!" she shouted in her head "We can't get past the defence"

Hayate debated in her mind. A dimensional collapse on this scale would take out the base and a 5km radius around it, touching part of the local shopping district. If they could not shut down the portals...then.

"All units" Hayate shouted into her communicator "evacuate from the base, form a large area barrier to protect the city!" She turned around and waited for her personal calmly evacuate the room. She activated her barrier jacket.

"Lieutenant Colonel? Griffith asked as she followed him out of the room. Hayate walked side by side with him towards the nearest exit.

"Griffith, you are taking command of the evacuation, Long Arch is in your hands" Hayate told her sub commander calmly.

"Yes ma'am!" Griffith instantly replied, conditioned by training. As they continued walking, he turned to her "Lieutenant Colonel, are you not joining us?" he asked. Hayate continued on walking, activating her staff and summoning her knights to meet her.

"My friend needs me Griffith." She replied simply. Griffith saluted and turned away from Hayate at the next corner, following the shortest route to the exit as Hayate proceeded to the front courtyard. "Signum, Vita?"

"Ready for action mistress" Signum's composed voice came through.

"Let's blow them away!" Vita's immature reply reassured Hayate of the younger Wolkenritter's state of mind.

"Good, let's do this" Hayate told them calmly as she opened the window next to her and leapt out, falling around 10 metres before activating her wings. She sped along the ground, leaving a trail of dust in her wake. As she approached the courtyard she finally caught glimpse of the sight with her own eyes, as glowing circles filled the air. She met up with Fate.

"There's no chance of breaking the shields," she told Hayate "Not without a large scale attack, which would risk hitting the main summoning sphere. I'm not prepared to risk Nanoha's life."

"You think it's her then?" Hayate questioned.

"I can feel her. She's coming, closer and closer." Fate clutched her heart "I...I seem to have a connection with her. I don't know how, but I can feel her getting closer."

"Shamal" Hayate called in her mind, "how is Fate's mental state?" Hayate looked at her friend, concerned that the pressure built up over the last 2 weeks might be too much for her. That she might be delusional.

"Acknowledged, Fate is showing a heighted heart rate and adrenaline rate, her mental condition seems stable." Shamal replied professionally.

"Any chance of hallucination, delusion?" Hayate asked.

"Very little, monitors aren't detecting abnormal brain activity, what's going on?"

"Fate says she can feel Nanoha coming closer. That she has some kind of bond."

"Hmm." Shamal thought quickly "there are documented affects of closely bonded individ-" Hayate cut her off as spheres began appearing, phasing through the summoning circles. She gripped her staff and prepared to fire a volley of spells, channelling energy through her tome. Fate cast a barrier to protect them from any attack whilst Subaru and Tiana we're already in the air, waiting to drop in and execute an attack.

There was no reaction from the spheres; they showed no recognition to the mages standing in front of them. They floated majestically in the air, still, guarding the central summoning circle.

"Graf Eisen!" Vita yelled out, ever quick tempered, swinging Graf Eisen through the air. _"Jawohl, Swallow Flier"_ the device announced, connecting with several ceramic balls, sending them flying with a fiery glow as they met sudden air resistance.

"Vita!" Signum shouted, jumping in front of her expecting a counter attack, but nothing came. The balls contained to fly towards their targets, before hitting an invisible barrier just before they reached, exploding in a shroud of dust. Hayate's heart leapt as she saw the targets completely unscathed. It was not that they had not experienced something with such powers before, as her past proved, but that they seemed flatly out of actions. There was no warning of any attack, nothing could be detected prior to their appearance, and they took the base completely by surprise. Hayate felt completely helpless, defenceless and humiliated. Humiliated that she could not even protect her proud Section Six.

"Lieutenant Colonel, Griffith reporting in, defences in place", reports came from units stationed across the perimeter of the city, ready to block and control any disaster coming their way.

"Mistress" Rein's little voice popped up in her head "Sensors detect a large surge in unstable energy, dimensional dislocation and magical energy."

"Acknowledged" she replied and opened a channel to all her units "This is it people, a large anomaly is coming though, be on guard" A chorus of "Rodger" came through her earpiece, giving Hayate a huge sense of pride that she felt whenever a large scale operation was put into place successfully.

The sky seemed to glow red for a moment as the sphere expanded, the circles spreading out, forcing Hayate and her forces back. The atmosphere was getting tense as whatever was coming through the portal got closer and closer. Hayate could feel the raw power flooding out of the portal, pure magical energy. She could almost taste it. The younger members of the team were visually shaken, not knowing what they we're going to be up against. Carol clung onto Elio tightly, Elio standing in front of her, Strada at his side with a determined look on his face.

"Mistress, dimensional warp taking place now!" Rein shouted out as the portal began to pulsate. The brightness suddenly increased, Hayate and Fate forced to shield their eyes from the blinding light. Just before she closed her eyes, Fate caught a glimpse of her.

Her friend, her partner, her saviour and her lover.

She saw her hair flowing freely, carried by the light wind that was blowing on that day. She rejoiced.

"Hold your fire!" Fate shouted "Its Nanoha!"

She repeated to herself, in course whisper, "its Nanoha."

The light slowly faded away and the rest of the team finally caught sight of Nanoha. She looked different. Her hair, normally kept up in a single tail, flowed freely down her back. She was in a red dress that went down to her feet, allowing a glimpse of the red high heels she was wearing. Ornaments decorated her hair, keeping it pinned down. In her hand she carried Raging Heart, although it had taken on a new form, looking like a normal spear, a much lightweight version of Excelion mode, with the gem embedded near the tip. Elegant patterns and lines swept along the length of the staff, with a sharp glow of red at the tip.

Nanoha smiled as she saw them, her heart feeling hot and a few tears escaped from her eye, tears of happiness. As she floated down to the ground she ran towards Fate, who did the same, and hugged each other furiously.

"Fate! Oh Fate" Nanoha cried, tears flowing freely now "God, I'm sorry I worried you"

"Nanoha, I've missed you…so much" Fate told her, eyes watering now. Subaru and Tiana watched, Subaru elbowing Tiana and winking. Carol and Elio watched and smiled, whilst Hayate with Signum and Vita stood to the side, waiting to welcome Nanoha back. It took some time for Nanoha to realise that she had yet to great the others.

"Hayate!" she turned around suddenly and saluted. Hayate laughed and smiled "I hardly think your current clothing is fitting for the military".

"Extravagant" Signum told her.

"Ever the show off" Vita smiled.

"Nyahaha, kinda didn't have anything else to wear." She smiled and hugged everybody. Everybody except Vita, who she patted on the head, infuriating the century old knight.

She turned to the balls of light, which were still floating in the sky. "Surveillance Mode" she shouted "Majestic Reign!"

The balls rapidly accelerated upwards, breaking the sound barrier and forcing their way through several clouds, piecing them and leaving holes. Soon they we're out of sight.

"Griffith, call back everyone, disaster adverted." Hayate turned to Nanoha "You, Miss, have a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

That night Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, her knights and Yuuno all sat down at a dining table. Not much eating took place during dinner; everyone plagued Nanoha with questions, until she gave in and told her story from start to finish.

"Well, I'll start with my disappearance. You know I got pierced by Falcon?" Everyone stared at her.

"Falcon?" Fate asked.

"Oh shoot, sorry. Falcon is my personal guardian. We fought against him that night, and I got pierced by one of his attacks?"

"Wait. Wait wait wait. You're saying that ball is your personal guardian?" Fate asked in disbelief "Then why the hell did it attack you?"

"Let me get on to that, just listen for now." Nanoha told her "God, you we're always persistent"

"Was not"

"Shush. Anyway, Falcon was looking for me." She stared Hayate in the eye "He's from Al Hazard." She quickly brought her hands up in front of her "Now I know you think I'm delusional, you know, about Al Hazard and all, but I'm being serious-"

"We know Nanoha" Hayate told her plainly.

"really is from-" Nanoha paused. "Waaa?"

"We know you're related to Al Hazard in some way. Yuuno did some research."

"Oh." Nanoha looked puzzled for a moment. "In that case, do you know my heritage?"

"I looked around, and concerning your particular...guardian type, it's from a noble family, although we couldn't find out much more than that." Yuuno adjusted his glasses "I am very interested though. You realise that if word gets out your going to be swamped with scientists wanting to do research.

Nanoha frowned "But I don't want to be researched on." She looked at Yuuno, who was smiling patiently "You mean…no…you want to research me?"

"It'll keep the riff raff away." He replied, "Besides, it's just going to be a few simpl-"

"I refuse" Fate announced, face red. "You can't have Nanoha."

"tes-" Yuuno stumbled. "Fate, its up to Nanoha, besides, what have you got against me."

"Pervert ferret. Need I say more?" Fate sniggered. Nanoha sat back; it felt good to be back, her time in Al Hazard had been strenuous, with Falcon informing her about her family's heritage. Real family. Oh God, she hadn't seen her parents, was it still her paren-?"

"Hey!" Nanoha interrupted Fate and Yuuno's argument "Do my family know about this". Hayate looked at Fate, wondering what to say. Hayate took a deep breath and broke it to her.

"Yes, they do know."

Nanoha sighed, of course they would know, how could they not notice a child who wasn't their own. She was going to have to have a long talk with them face to face soon.

"Anyway, continuing on" she spoke up, eager to avoid the awkward silence that normally dominated such scenes "I'm from a noble family who lived on Al Hazard. They originally came from Earth" Everyone stared. "They we're one of the first to experience magic, control and wield it. And eventually, they found their way to Al Hazard."

"That's ridiculous…a human being waltzing straight into Al Hazard?" Fate asked.

"There was a time when magic played a huge role in Earth's society. These we're the raw forms of magic, not refined through staves or amplifiers, magic which used a person's life force. Those who couldn't control the power died, burnt out. Those who did…wielded enormous strength in society." Hayate explained "However, the notion that your family fell into Al Hazard, they must have unlocked the secrets of dimensional space and time.

"Apparently so. Falcon taught me the basics that let me get back here. He said normally it took a few days of practice. Nyahaha, I took over a week to learn it. Worst student ever Falcon told me; had it not have been for Starlight Breaker he wouldn't have accepted me as a descendent."

"You mean, you can open portals on your own?" Yuuno asked, excited by the prospect "But, the amount of energy it takes to punch a path through dimensions…TSAB requires several reactors to power even a single one."

"Nyahaha, yea, Falcon told me that I was using my magical power's wrong, how I was channelling it all through Raging Heart. Now I can channel it through Raging Heart and back into myself, using Raging Heart as a sort of accelerator effect. That's how I gain enough momentum to punch that hole." Nanoha paused for a second, debating whether to tell them the next bit. "I've also delved into another form of magical energy."

Yuuno banged his knee against the table in excitement "You mean dimensional energy don't you!" he yelled. Not noticing his pain he quickly made a few motions in mid air, pulling out all his files and readied himself to take notes.

"Ever the researcher" Nanoha complimented Yuuno "that's right. Dimensional energy is leaking out from all over the place, and as long as you can feel it, you can use it. I've got the stuff flowing through me right now. Here, give me a second." She closed her eyes and focused on her linker core, or rather, the shield now surrounding it, keeping her power levels contained. Everyone in the room felt a sudden burst of power, radiating from Nanoha.

Yuuno grabbed his equipment from his bag as fast as he could and began to measure the power levels coming out, A, AA, AAA, S, S+, SS, SSS. The measurer stopped. From here on it could only measure the power by density, how many molecules of magical power there was per metre cubed. At SSS the official figure was around 3500 molecules. He watched in amazement as the power climbed and climbed, reaching just under 6000 before rapidly coming down.

"I can't release much more than that" Nanoha told them "not unless I'm sitting on top of a D-point"

"Yuuno" Hayate spoke up, pausing to take a drink of water "you seem to know what this is about, please explain."

"My pleasure" Yuuno told her, eager to find out more "This is cutting edge research, theory level at best; we haven't got any proof at the moment. The theory is based on space-time cracks. You see, in our dimensions we have people consuming magical energy, energy is produced, energy is consumed."

"Wait, energy can be produced?" Hayate asked "but I thought energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be transferred from one form to another. Conservation of energy and all that?"

Yuuno shook his head "you never bothered to read those books I lent you did you?"

Hayate laughed nervously.

"Those huge things? Come on, they weren't exactly going to help me pass my officer exams" Hayate proclaimed, defending her actions.

"Yes. Well, moving on. Assuming that you've read the Michildian version of this 'conservation of energy' then you will know that energy is created by an unknown source. Energy is used by our linker cores and our magical devices." Several faces nodded around the table. "Now, imagine that some of these dimensions do not have beings that use up magical energy. This energy is then compressed and a new form is created, highly compressed energy, tens, maybe hundreds of times more powerful than regular magic. They then enter our dimension via various points which connect our universe to another. Our name for this type of energy is Avon magic."

"Well, we know it as Selden magic" an unknown mechanical voice boomed from the top of the room. Hayate jumped up and activated her barrier jacket, her staff pointing in the general direction of the voice.

"Calm down Hayate" Nanoha reassured her. She then turned to the voice. "Falcon, show yourself."

Slowly a white ball formed and floated down from the ceiling to Nanoha's side.

"God, I'm sure that's a security threat." Hayate told Nanoha.

"Nyahaha" Nanoha nervously smiled "Sorry, I can't do much about Falcon, she's a bit rebellious."

"Rebellious?" Falcon's deep voice boomed again "I would hardly call it that. My duty is to protect you Princess, and I shall do that to the best of my ability, regardless of your wishes."

"Ne, Falcon. Show them your true form" Nanoha requested. Yuuno looked on with interest, excited at the chance to discover more about the guardian.

"True form?" Yuuno asked, "Is it like Hayate's system?"

"Like the Tome of the Night Sky?" Falcon asked "Hardly, I feel insulted to be compared to such a basic program." Vita instantly took up Graf Eisen and swung at Falcon, although she could not get pass his mysterious shield.

"Now now young knight, don't get over excited."

"I am not young!" protested Vita, "say that once more and you had better watch your back. I'll tear your body apart."

"Falcon, stop it" Nanoha commanded in her serious commanding voice.

"Yes Princess" she obeyed, pulsating to a new form. A humanoid form, a female with bright red hair in a tight ponytail, blood red eyes donning an elegant battledress, a red jacket with stiff collars and a yellow sash across her chest. A sword was attached to her side, a pistol attached on the other, both of elegant design, with phoenixes carved onto the handles. Every inch of her had an air of superiority; the way she held herself was similar to that of Signum. In fact, Hayate had a strange feeling that Falcon and Signum were going to get on quite well.

"So do you have anymore guardians?" Yuuno asked with excitement.

"Well…" Nanoha considered the question "Aside from Falcon there's Lily and Colt, they're kinda like sub-commanders. Most of the spheres are created and controlled by them, they listen to me and Falcon"

As she finished speaking two more spheres materialized in the ceiling of the room, they descended down to the floor and a male and female appeared kneeling on the floor. They were both robed in light blue, with the female wearing a short skirt, blouse and lace around her collar. The male wore trousers, a smart shirt with tailcoat and again, lace round his collar.

"Twins?" Hayate asked.

"They look so young!" Yuuno exclaimed "almost like Vita"

"Hey, watch it smart ass!" Vita shouted as she turned to glare upon Yuuno. He quickly adjusted his glasses.

"We are thousands of years old" Lily started off.

"But our appearance is decided upon by ourselves" Colt followed on "we find that these forms allow for the greatest elements of surprise." He explained as a matter of fact.

"Lily, Colt, I thought I told you to maintain surveillance mode?" Nanoha asked the two as they rose to their feet.

"Mistress, surely you should know by now that we are able to be in more then once place at one time" Lily coolly replied.

"Indeed mistress, should you focus yourself in your training, you yourself would be able to perform this trick" Colt added as he elegantly spun around and split into two beings. Yuuno looked on spellbound, he had spent a good deal of his life theorizing and experimenting, but never did he expect to be able to see his theories come to life in front of him.

"Still, I don't feel like your giving your tasks 100% if your in more than one place at once" Nanoha told the pair, or as they now were, the three of them.

"As you wish mistress," the three replied simultaneously as they faded away behind a shroud of red feathers. As the feathers fell to the floor they too elegantly faded away to leave nothing behind.

"I'm concerned" Hayate voiced suddenly "I can't feel anything of your guardians, no presence, no magical energy, I don't even know anything's there unless it starts manipulating the environment around them." Nanoha nodded along with her. "Are there any more of them out there? Are there anymore people who can control the amount and type of power you can?"

Nanoha looked towards Falcon, who cocked her head to one side slightly as she thought.

"There is no-one known to me," Falcon told Hayate "however, I am sure that such people exist. We are not the only ones to survive what you know as the extinction of Al-Hazard."

"What exactly happened then? What we know of Al Hazard is extremely basic and I'm guessing inaccurate. For one thing Al Hazard is supposed to be inaccessible to anyone."

"Your records outline what happened. At the prime of Al Hazards civilization, we were at the forefront of magic and technology. Indeed, we were the one's who first combined the two in order to more widely utilise magic in our society. Clean, powerful and more importantly, renewable energy threw our society out into the forefront of planets."

Falcon played with the hilt of her sword in thought. Hayate noticed that the hilt of the sword was much more magnificent than she had previously thought. The phoenixes were actually made of red topaz which was set into the hilt, the hilt being made of silver with a tasteful pattern of gold surrounding the phoenix. Hayate wondered to herself whether she should look at redesigning her knights' barrier jackets. Her design, which she had thought up when she first discovered her Wolkenritter, now seemed outdated. Falcon started speaking again, taking Hayate's mind off the matter.

"Life expectancy extended, we solved all the problems that plagued our world, inequality, infertile land, everything. For a while it was a paradise, as we found countless new ways to utilise the combinations of magic and technology. We were blessed with peace. However, other planets became jealous. We traded our technology and discoveries in return for raw materials that we did not yet have the power to reconstruct."

Falcon grabbed the hilt of her sword and drew it in one smooth draw, the blade glinting as it revealed itself from its scabbard. Along its length, a pattern of roses delicately engraved with shades of green and red, stems of jade and petals of ruby. Signum immediately responded by drawing her sword and moving in front of Hayate.

"Oh" Falcon exclaimed in mild surprise "I wouldn't worry. My mistress has specifically instructed me that under no circumstance am I to harm anyone from your organization." She smirked. "Indeed, my mistress seems to hold one of you in particularly high esteem" she stated innocently as her gaze shifted onto Fate. Fate blushed profoundly.

"Falcon, stop that" Nanoha commanded, her cheeks also aflush.

"Of course, my mistress" Falcon said with a bow, "shall we continue with the story at hand?" Falcon twirled her sword and skilfully sheathed it again. "The other planets which we traded with wanted our technology, all of it. They launched an attack upon us." Falcon's face darkened, her eyes narrowed and she spoke with a low voice full of spite. "Their weapons were not like ours, which were limited in order not to do any damage. Their attacks left side effects that we were not able to stop in time. We, a nation which had experienced peace for some time, did not have anything with which to defend ourselves."

She walked to the edge of the room, examining the display which had various data on the formation and history of the TSAB.

"The inhabitants of Al Hazard fled when they realised what was going on. Or at least, they attempted to. Our wormhole and teleportation technology was still in its infancy, we were not able to open up many wormholes at once, and so relatively few of our people survived. Many of those who did escape lost their lives to the disease that had infected Al Hazard. Other's had a much more quicker death when one end of the wormhole was severed, forever losing them in time. The handful like my mistress that did survive were scattered in time and across planets."

She turned to a photo of Nanoha in her uniform at the launch of Section 6.

"In the meantime the foolish people who had killed the inhabitants of Al Hazard poisoned the planet so much they were unable to descend upon it to collect the information that they so much desired. Systems such as myself decided that it would be in our interests to conceal ourselves for the rest of time and so created a localised disturbance in time and space. We bent time and space around us, and so we were lost to the rest of civilisation."

Falcon let a single tear drop from her face, as she turned towards Nanoha and kneeled.

"My mistress, how lucky we are to have you by our sides once more."

"Falcon, please, get up. I told you to stop kneeling." Nanoha told Falcon as she rose to help her up "And stop calling me mistress"

"I'm afraid my programming will not allow me to do that" Falcon stated as she gracefully stood "and my programming, unlike the Tome of the Night Sky, cannot be reprogrammed before you get any thoughts."

"Why is that?" Yuuno asked, taking notes as fast as his hand could type "Surely the input of new data must be allowed? After all, all of the Al Hazard artefacts we have found have been self evolving to some extent. That is the genius of the technology, which we have barely been able to recreate in our modern devices."

"Oh, you seem to know a lot about Al Hazard, young man." Falcon turned as she eyed Yuuno. "Indeed, most of our technology is self evolving, that's how we achieved such a rapid rate of new technology. However, our core systems, such as the systems which controlled the properties of the nobles of Al Hazard, have a rather strict programming. Our core operations are preset so that in event of a corruption we can dump the data and rebuild ourselves. This would have stopped the Tome of the Night Sky from going berserk. As I'm sure you can imagine, the effects of my system going berserk would be disastrous."

Nanoha, Fate and Hayate nodded in agreement, the battle they fought that day several years ago had united them, but they had not forgotten the fight that had nearly cost their planet its life.

"After we concealed ourselves we set about to purify our planet. We returned it to its former glory, and then continued to research the synthesis of new elements and materials. We learnt to work with new material, with compressed magic. We experimented on how to control and increase our magical power for warfare; we built stronger shields, better weapons. We were ready should we need to go to war ever again."

"Anyway, that is a much as you need to know for now. I'm sure more will be revealed as my mistress learns more about her family's history. She has chosen to remain at this position for now, and we have chosen to accompany her and serve her as required."

Nanoha quickly looked at Hayate.

"Of course this is only if you permit it ma'am" Nanoha quickly said with a slight bow to Hayate.

"Of course!" Hayate replied without thinking "As soon as Shamal approves you for duty you can return to your post. We've all missed you." She held Nanoha's hand and stared into her eyes "I'll try and keep the main office off your back, although completely evading them will be impossible, given your grand entrance yesterday." She told her with a grin.

"Nyahaha, sorry about that" Nanoha replied as withdrew her hand and scratched the back of her head, making her look like the innocent girl she had been at the age of 12. Even after all these years, after all she'd been through, her attitude had not changed.

* * *

A/N:

First off, let me apologise for not keeping this story updated. Whilst it was my every intention to keep updating this, I was distracted from the end of my A-levels and finally getting into university. Then when I got to the stage when the excitement had worn off (around last week) I was hit by some bad news. My father's been diagnosed with cancer.

I turned to this fanfic after coming to terms with myself to keep me occupied. And I found myself admiring what I had written a year ago, and finding my language and writing skills had diminished. Over the next few weeks I'll try and ease myself back into writing so hopefully you'll find my style of writing returns.

If you do find that the feel of my writing changes half way through this chapter you'll know why. Also, if you find inconsistencies between UK English and American English, that's because my spell checker believes that its in America and I can't seem to convince it otherwise.

Anyway, enough of me babbling on. If you have read this than I thank you for taking some time to read what I really want to say. I thank you for all your kind comments and subscriptions. The messages asking me to update finally got through to me, and I hope to continue in the same fashion. I hope you enjoy my story and would love all feedback on how to improve my writing.

Cheers!

Billy


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